


out of reach

by GhostsandGhouls



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Corporate, Alternate Universe - Office, Angst with a Happy Ending, Explicit Language, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:14:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23844304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhostsandGhouls/pseuds/GhostsandGhouls
Summary: Kyoutani gets a new job at a big corporate company, with a dream boss—someone who is nothing like he seems. He's kind, friendly, understanding and absolutely drop-dead gorgeous.
Relationships: Kyoutani Kentarou/Numai Kazuma
Comments: 24
Kudos: 7





	1. leaving a mark

**Author's Note:**

> Take this lil' moodboard I made for this AU!! c:

Kyoutani is always going from one dead-end job to the next, not because it's a business that's fallen through but because rich people always look down on him. His best clothes are not anything to be amazed by, his shirts have creases far too deep to iron out, trousers that are too big for him. Sometimes he gets kicked out before making it into the interview.  
  
Something is different today, security didn't throw him out assuming he's some cheap imitation. He gets called into the interview room and is met with a sight he doesn't normally see with these fancy business types, the guy’s hair is dyed—blond on top and the undercut a sharp black, he has tattoos on his hands, piercings in his ears and one in his right eyebrow. For a moment Kyoutani wonders if this might be a joke or an elaborate cover-up, that this guy is Yakuza; his eyes flicker to the nameplate on the desk: _Numai, executive director_ .  
  
Executive director. What kind of executive director dealt with interviews? This stuff was always dealt with by some lower-placed people in the company. Numai looks up from the papers, folding his hands together and smiling softly, far too soft for someone with tattoos and piercings. “Kyoutani-san, it's very nice to meet you. I’m Numai.”  
  
“It’s nice to meet you, Numai san.”  
  
“I’m impressed. You have a lot of experience, it's not long-lasting, but it's good. Your portfolio is amazing, so I want to give you a chance.”  
  
Kyoutani's brain fizzles out and he knows he's gaping, he picks up his jaw quickly, spluttering out words. “I—Th-thank you, Numai-san.”  
  
“One mistake, one slip up and I'll believe what this paper is telling me.” Numai taps the paper, face suddenly stern, it makes Kyoutani swallow. “It's telling me that you're untrustworthy, that you can't follow rules long enough to stay in one place,” He sits back, pulling open one of the drawers on his desk, he pulls out an envelope and drops it to the table. “Take this. Buy yourself a decent suit. You start on Monday, don't show up dressed like that.”  
  
“Of course!” Kyoutani takes the envelope, giving Numai a deep bow. “Thank you so much for giving me a chance.” Numai nods, another smile gracing his features. Kyoutani sees himself out, his heart pounding the whole time with each step he takes from the building.

* * *

It’s a strange process for Kyoutani, to go to a tailor and get fitted for a suit. The man in the shop is kind and helpful, despite the first look he’d gotten when he walked in, the second Kyoutani handed over the envelope, his face lit up. There’s enough money to get two suits, and Kyoutani feels entirely overwhelmed by it all; he has to wait for them to be adjusted and he goes back the next day to pick them up.  
  
When Monday comes, he feels more confident walking into the office building; he’s walking through the hall when he sees Numai, who’s attention diverts away from the conversation he’s having. “Ah! Kyoutani-san, this is Akiha-san, he’ll be looking after you today.”  
  
“Hello, it’s nice to meet you.” Kyoutani bows and Akiha follows, he turns back to Numai, it looks like they share something without really speaking then Akiha leaves. “Numai-san, I wanted to thank you again.”  
  
“It’s okay. Akiha-san will make sure you know what you’re doing. Make yourself aware of the rules, I’ll be checking up on things today.” Numai grins. Kyoutani doesn’t know if it’s inviting and friendly, or if Numai wants to devour him whole. “You clean up pretty well, you’ll fit in fine here. Just stay on the right side of the rules.”  
  
“Of course, sir.” Numai chuckles softly, he leads Kyoutani to Akiha’s desk, gently patting him on the arm before walking around the room. Kyoutani’s eyes can’t help but follow him.  
  
“Kyoutani-san, I’d recommend not thinking about that,” His eyes flicker back to Akiha, surprise and nervousness running through him. “Numai-san follows one rule. No dating colleagues.”  
  
“I uh! I wasn’t thinking that. I’m just thankful that he gave me a job.”  
  
“He’s different. When I first started here, I thought he was a typical rich douche, stuck up and self-centred, but he isn’t. You’ll learn soon enough. Pull a chair up, we should get started.” Kyoutani nods, he wants to know more about what Akiha is hinting at, but they’re at work and he wants to prove to Numai that hiring him wasn’t a mistake. He pulls up a spare chair and focuses on what Akiha is saying; in the back of his head, he can still hear Numai’s compliment.  
  
 **~ ~ ~ ~**  
  
Time seems to tick by quickly, Kyoutani learns from Akiha for the first week at the job, making sure that he understands his role. It’s something small, organising client information, contracts and finishing any spreadsheets that need some extra work. It’s easy enough and Kyoutani finds himself settling in quickly.  
  
Numai is helpful, he always walks around the office, giving pointers where someone looks like they’re struggling. He’s obviously a good boss and Kyoutani hasn’t heard one bad word about him. The only time Kyoutani doesn’t see Numai is over lunch, he’s grabbing food from the staff refrigerator when a conversation catches his attention and he busies himself making a drink, pretending not to eavesdrop when he really is.  
  
“Did you hear? Ishuda-san isn’t happy at all with Numai, he turned down another proposal.”  
  
“He’s working _two_ jobs, Ishuda-san should learn by now, he’s not going to say yes if he doesn’t even have time for a relationship. Well, it’s either that or he’s gay.”  
  
Kyoutani pauses halfway through pouring his coffee, their talking stops and moments later, the door creaks open. “Kyoutani-san, might I borrow you for a moment?” He shivers at the sound of Numai’s voice, he finishes pouring the coffee then grabs the mug and turns around, nodding slowly. “You can bring your lunch.”  
  
Kyoutani follows him out of the break-room and down to his office, he takes a seat, nervously sipping his coffee. Numai takes off his jacket and Kyoutani almost chokes when he sees that Numai is wearing suspenders. Kyoutani isn’t sure what to focus on, Numai himself or the reason why he’s been brought into the office today...A week, that’s usually how long Kyoutani lasts at a job, he should know better than to trust what people say. Maybe Numai isn’t any different. “Uh-” His voice comes out almost like a squeak and he coughs to clear his throat. “Have I done something wrong?”  
  
“No, no. Relax a little.” Numai sits down, he pulls something up on his computer then turns the screen towards Kyoutani. “Look at this, we had a few new hires when you started here and you’re doing the best. Everything you’ve been working on has been highly-praised from Ikeda-san. I wanted to try and figure out why you’ve never kept a job before.”  
  
“Oh.” Kyoutani swallows. He takes another sip of his coffee, suddenly wishing it was something much stronger. “I don’t have a work-friendly face, that’s what my last boss said. The one before that said I’m not a team player, that I keep to myself and don’t talk enough. Before that...Um, that I’m too grumpy.”  
  
Numai sits back, nodding and smiling. “I won’t lie to you, it isn’t untrue. But I don’t care about any of that, as long as you’re doing your job that’s enough for me, and you are, you’re doing it well too. If the business is running then my family is happy. People think I don’t hear what they say about me, but I do.” He shakes his head. “Maybe I’m a Kumicho since I have tattoos, or that I’m a stuck up rich boy, who has had everything handed to them on a silver platter. I’m a prude because I won’t get married for status. I’m gay because I don’t date anyone.” Numai laughs, but it doesn’t sound light, like Kyoutani would expect, but Numai isn’t laughing at a joke. “I suppose there’s a little truth to the things they say.”  
  
“You’re rich,” Numai nods, Kyoutani isn’t sure if there’s more to it, but Numai looks like he’s expecting something else. “I don’t think you’re yakuza, or stuck up. I don’t think you’d be running a business so smoothly if you’d just had everything handed to you, it’s obvious that you’re working hard. I heard them saying you have another job.” Kyoutani leaves the last thing out on purpose, it’s not anyone's place to question Numai’s sexuality.  
  
“I do, I work nights. I finish here, submit all the reports to files, then I go to a clinic, five-thirty until ten and I work there, helping people.”  
  
“You...You’re a doctor?”  
  
“I am. I spent six years at uni to become a doctor and did another two years to finish a masters’ degree. I squeezed classes and studying around working here, I couldn’t let my grandfather down. No matter what they say out there, or what anyone else says, hard work is what I believe in. Work hard and you fit in.”  
  
“How am I doing?”  
  
“You’re fine, I already said that you’re doing well. Ikeda-san has faith in you. Unless he tells me anything different, then you keep working.” Numai grabs his own cup then hints to Kyoutani. “You don’t have long left for your lunch. I’ll let you go.”  
  
“Yeah. Thank you, sir.” Kyoutani gets up, he bows his head and departs from the room. When he makes it back to his desk, he puts down his mug and lets out a long exhale. A breath he didn’t even realise he’d been holding.  
  
 _Fuck_ , it was just unfair for Numai to look that good.  
  
 *** * * * * ***  
  
By the time Kyoutani gets home, he’s desperate for a drink. He didn’t realise working with Numai was going to be so tough, but not for any of the reasons that people might think. Numai is far from any stuck up rich boy that Kyoutani, unfortunately, met in the past. Numai’s everything they’re not, and it makes things so much worse for Kyoutani.  
  
He peels off his suit and gets changed into a navy blue crop-top and cargo pants, then he pulls on his favourite (and very distressed) denim jacket and flies out of the door. He knows these streets well, and it doesn’t take him long to arrive at the club. Kyoutani pays the charge at the door then stalks over to the bar, starting off with something strong.  
  
It’s not that Kyoutani intends on getting drunk, he just needs to wipe away the image of Numai. Of how good he looks in a suit...How much better he looked in suit pants, crisp-white shirt and suspenders. Kyoutani finishes his drink quickly then orders another, it doesn’t ease him at all.  
  
When someone shuffles up near him, he grunts softly and moves away. “Whiskey, dry.” The voice tingles in Kyoutani’s ears. Familiarity spreads through him and he takes a second where he convinces himself that he’s imagining things, that Numai is still playing on his brain.  
  
Kyoutani sips his drink and risks looking up. He catches sight of a bare shoulder, covered in tattoos, then Kyoutani’s eyes trail up the smooth line of Numai’s neck, his earrings glisten under the lights and Kyoutani’s eyes continue upwards to a black undercut topped with messy blond curls. Kyoutani swallows, taking another drink. Numai is here, at a popular gay club...Another thing that he’d said held truth. “Numai-san?” The name falls out of his mouth before Kyoutani can think any further.  
  
Numai's head flicks down, he smiles softly and raises his glass to his lips, taking a slow sip. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t looking at Kyoutani. He looked good. Numai hadn’t had the best first impression of Kyoutani, turning up to an interview in ill-fitting clothes, but when he returned in a brand new suit, he looked wonderful. This was something entirely different and the sliver of bare skin made Numai’s body tingle. “Kyoutani-san,” He finally speaks, having swallowed the whiskey. “What a coincidence seeing you here.”  
  
“Y-yeah.” Kyoutani nods. He’d been lost in Numai’s tattoos, and slightly more in just how good Numai looked in a tank-top and fitted jeans. _Christ_ , Kyoutani felt like he could hardly breathe, like Numai had decided wearing a fitted suit wasn’t enough, but jeans like that which clung to him...It’s almost like they were made to torture Kyoutani. “It’s good to see you. I uh...I didn’t know.”  
  
“I told you that some of the rumours about me are true. I don’t really care if people assume, or know, that I’m gay. I’ve been out and proud ever since I was fifteen, this isn’t new to me.”  
  
“It's not my business to pry.” Kyoutani shrugs, he finishes his drink and gets another refill. “It's not anyone else's either.”  
  
“It seems to me like people really enjoy prying. You’re probably the only person who said they don't care, and since I've never overheard you talking about me, I think that it’s true that you don’t.”  
  
Kyoutani wants to argue. It’s not true that he doesn’t care about Numai, he does and he wants to know more. But he wants it to be done on their terms, nothing else attached. “I told you,” Kyoutani huffs, throwing back the liquid in his glass. “It’s not my business.” He pushes away from the bar then turns around and shoves his way through the crowd to the bathroom.  
  
He spends a few minutes trying to calm down by splashing some water on his face. It would be typical for the one night that Kyoutani comes out to get away from Numai, he ends up running directly into him instead. If this was fate, or whatever bullshit people tried to spin it as, it had to be fucking cruel.  
  
Kyoutani finishes up and heads back out, dumping his denim jacket at the cloakroom, he should at least try to have fun. The second he turns back to the crowd though, he’s already looking for Numai, and he finds him, dancing amongst some guys. Kyoutani’s jaw sets, he has no right to be jealous but it still burns strongly through his body, Numai’s smiling and enjoying himself, body moving with the pulse of the music.  
  
He catches something small, black, right where the sleeve of Numai’s tank top drops around his chest, just above his midriff, and it sinks in quickly, Kyoutani has the misfortune of learning that his tattoos don’t stop at just his arms. He has more on his body.  
  
Kyoutani turns away and sulks back to the bar. He finds himself ordering a whiskey, it goes down smoothly and burns in his throat, he wonders if Numai felt the same thing, why he’d order something like this. It’s different from the smokiness of rum. Kyoutani glances through the crowd, at just the wrong time, to see a man grinding up against Numai, touching him in ways Kyoutani has imagined doing.  
  
Tattooed hands swat away the touch, and Kyoutani’s eyes flicker to Numai’s face, he looks uncomfortable with the advances, trying to shift away from the guy. Kyoutani sees red, he pushes his way from the bar to Numai and pulls the guy off him, tossing him into the people around him—they don’t care, buzzed by alcohol, urged on by the rhythmic beat of the music.  
  
The guy pulls himself back, trying to reach around Kyoutani for Numai. Kyoutani doesn’t move an inch, he’s firm, pushing away far too eager hands. “C’mon, we’re just havin’ fun!”  
  
“He doesn’t want your kind of fun,” Kyoutani spits, pushing him back again. “Fuck off.” He stays stern, glaring until the guy withers away and moves along to his next target. Kyoutani turns to Numai, who’s red-cheeked and smiling. “What?”  
  
“You, you’re amazing. In a place like this, people don’t care but you do. How do you do that?”  
  
“Do what?”  
  
“How do you see _me_ ?” There’s a lilt in Numai’s voice that makes Kyoutani swallow. He shakes his head then stalks away back to the bar for another drink, back to his regular. A hand touches his arm and he shrugs it off, glaring up only to meet deep-chocolate eyes that leave him breathless. “Thank you, Kyoutani.”  
  
“Sure,” It comes out like Kyoutani choked on the word and spat it out; he’s far too stuck on the way Numai dropped the honorific from his name. “Maybe you should leave, before he comes back.”  
  
“I don’t want to leave.”  
  
Kyoutani shrugs, turning back to his glass. He swirls the liquid then takes a sip, slow and precise, it slides down with smoothness, leaving him feeling a little lighter. “Don’t expect me to come if he returns.”  
  
“Then I’ll just stay right here.” Numai slides up to the bar, orders another whiskey and makes himself comfortable there—at Kyoutani’s side. “Maybe someone better will want to dance.”  
  
“Good luck,” Kyoutani scoffs, taking another sip to try and strip away how he feels. “Most people don’t come here to dance. That guy...He wanted a fuck.”  
  
“Yeah, that was pretty obvious. It started as dancing when he first came closer to me, then he was being flirty and I didn’t stop him.” Kyoutani tries to tune it out, sipping slowly at his drink while Numai explains, in detail, how one little touch from that douche-bag turned into more, turned into him pressing closer and sliding their bodies together. Kyoutani doesn’t want to hear it. He doesn’t care.  
  
But Kyoutani does care, because it’s Numai, so he listens to every word, hanging on like he’s about to be reeled in. He finishes his drink and puts the glass down, thumping it against the counter-top. He glances over to the cloakroom, where some people have gathered and wonders how long it would take to get his jacket back. “Shit.” He swears softly, pushing away from the bar and preparing to go tackle the people in his way.  
  
Coarse fingers slide over his skin and he turns back to see Numai gripping him. His heart jumps, pounds loudly and matches the music in the club. “What are you doing?”  
  
“Leaving.”  
  
“You haven’t danced.” Kyoutani shakes his head and pulls his arm away, glaring down at the spot like the warmth Numai left will shiver away under his gaze. “What did you come here for? If not dancing. Did you want a fuck?”  
  
Kyoutani startles, eyes bulging wide up at Numai. His brain analyses the words in a thousand ways; _did Numai want that with him? Did he think that’s all Kyoutani cared about? Did he...Did he...Did he._ None of it makes sense and Kyoutani swallows, stepping further away. “I wouldn’t be sitting at a bar all night if that was true. I just wanted a drink. Now I want to go.”  
  
Numai’s hand falls and Kyoutani turns away. “You look great.” He ignores it. Numai has been drinking, he doesn’t know what he’s saying. Kyoutani quickly shrugs past people and collects his jacket, tugging it on so he can escape the club. The cold night-air is a relief against Kyoutani’s blistering skin, too hot from the club...Too hot from Numai’s words. There’s no way to believe that any of it was real, just a drunken image, spreading deep into Kyoutani’s brain.


	2. too intense

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I commissioned some [AMAZING art](https://thcrsthry.tumblr.com/post/624165418932830209/numai-kyoutani-for-novaseren-buy-me-a) for the dance scene, please do check it out <33

Kyoutani’s next shift at work comes the Monday following bumping into Numai at the club. He’s only half-focused, every time Numai so much as passes by his eye-line, he feels himself go red; Kyoutani’s eyes follow, remembering the tattoos that span up his arms. It’s wonderful and torturous at the same time, he finds himself desperately wanting to see them again.   
  
“Kyoutani-san.” The stern voice surprises him and he turns to see Ikeda standing behind him, he swallows, feeling tiny under the steely-gaze. “Get your head out of the clouds and into your work!”   
  
“Yes, sir.” Ikeda shakes his head and moves on. Kyoutani sighs and looks at the spreadsheet on his screen. None of the numbers make sense anymore, it’s all information that’s suddenly so meaningless. He swears he can see a silhouette of Numai painted along the lines, and he shakes his head, moving on to the next page.   
  
*** * * * * ***   
  
Lunch comes around far too slowly, Kyoutani makes a strong coffee then stalks out of the break-room. He’s returning to his desk when he catches sight of Numai in his office; he’s eating a wrap with one hand and working away on his PC with the other. Kyoutani wonders if anyone has ever really seen just how hard he works.  He worked through lunch, and then left the office to go help out at a clinic...He was truly amazing. Kyoutani swallows, he quickly collects his bento box then walks back to Numai’s office and quietly joins him. Numai looks up, face questioning, though he says nothing and turns back to his computer after Kyoutani sits down and starts eating.   
  
It’s silent between them, but not awkward. It’s a vast comparison from Friday night at the club—there’s no obnoxious music thundering in the background and no noisy people. Just the quiet tap of Numai’s fingers over his keyboard, or the click of the mouse. Kyoutani finishes eating, takes a large sip of his coffee then stands up and walks to the door.   
  
He stands there for a moment, fingers curling over the handle. “I don’t care,” He glances over his shoulder and swallows when he meets Numai’s eyes, a little scared to say anything else. He does anyway, “You can yell at me, if you want. But I don’t care, I’m not here because I think we share something, because we’re both gay. That doesn’t matter to me, and whatever you do in your spare time is up to you. You said I see you, and I do, you’re so lonely.”   
  
“Get out.” Numai’s voice is stern, Kyoutani quickly ducks out of the room. Once he’s far enough away, Numai sinks his face into his palms, sighing softly. “Lonely?” He wonders what it looks like. He sits in his office during lunch hours, doing work and eating...Alone. He can walk the hall of the office as much as he wants, talk to his employees, but they aren’t his friends. They talk behind his back, he’s well aware of that and it pushes him further away.   
  
He’s always alone.  
  


* * *

  
The rest of the week feels strained. It’s the first time since starting that Kyoutani is grateful he doesn’t work weekends and the pay is good enough that he doesn’t need a second job. He’s packing away his things when he feels a presence to his side, he turns and is a little surprised to see Numai standing there.   
  
“We’re not friends. You’re not friendly, you scowl and you’re hard to approach,” Kyoutani’s brows knit together, he knows what he’d said had been out of place, but it hurts to hear Numai spitting words back at him. “That’s what I’ve been told. Ikeda-san likes your work, Akiha-san is proud of how far you’ve come, no-one else in this office likes you. They say you’re cold and don’t belong here. Do you know why I haven’t fired you?”   
  
“...No, not really.”   
  
“You work really hard. I told you, I value that.” Kyoutani nods, his mouth feels dry, mind running too fast to keep up with anything. “It’s my grandfather’s company, I got handed it on a nice silver spoon. What people don’t realise is that the spoon has a rope attached to it. He wants me to marry some fancy girl for status, to ensure the business will have more success in the future and I can’t give him that.”   
  
“Doesn’t he know? You said you’ve been out since you were fifteen.”   
  
“Yeah, that doesn’t matter much in the world of business. Making deals, ensuring success...That’s more important than anyone’s happiness. I can’t love a woman, I can’t do what he did and it’s different, I know he loves my grandmother, no matter what. He should have just let my sister take the company. I’d be a hell of a lot happier without it.” Numai sighs, Kyoutani urges to reach out, something to help cheer him up. But there’s nothing he can do, nothing he can say that’s going to make any of this better. That’s the reality of the world. “I wouldn’t be lonely.”   
  
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have-”   
  
“You’re right. Don’t apologise for that, my sister and friends are back in Nerima. It’s not a long drive, but it’s still hard to find time between work to meet up. My mom and dad just moved to Yokohama to be near my grandparents. I’m here alone.” He gazes off and Kyoutani frowns, ready to say something...He doesn’t know what, anything that might help. “You can go home now, I need to go to work.”   
  
Kyoutani is left speechless, watching as Numai returns to his office. His feet carry him after, following Numai into the office. “Numai...san, I’m here.” He doesn’t know what’s compelling him to say the words, or why he felt the need to follow Numai at all. It’s not his place. They’re colleagues, a boss and an employee, nothing more. Not friends. “You don’t know me, and I’m not expecting you to trust me, but I’m here. If you want to talk...Or whatever.”   
  
“Thank you,” Numai turns around, he finishes pulling on his coat then grabs his bag. “But we should really get out before the cleaners decide to brush us out.” He chuckles and leads Kyoutani out. His car is the last one and he walks over, brow rising when Kyoutani starts walking in the opposite direction. “Hey, Kyoutani. Do you want to hop in?”   
  
“Are you sure?”   
  
“Of course, tell me where you’re going.”   
  
“Kanda Awajicho, to my apartment…”   
  
“That’s fine, get in.” Numai climbs into the car and Kyoutani joins him a moment later, fiddling with the seatbelt once he has it secured, like he’s afraid that if his hands aren’t busy then he’d going to do something incredibly stupid. Numai drops his bag behind the chair and hands over his phone. “Drop your address in.”   
  
Kyoutani quietly complies then hands the phone back, Numai docks it and Kyoutani watches as Numai starts the car. It purrs to life, strong and steady, the complete opposite of how Kyoutani feels. It’s only a short drive, four minutes, and Kyoutani counts every second. The radio plays a song that he’s heard a million times and it’s not enough to distract him from glancing at Numai every other second.   
  
He feels like he can finally breathe when the car comes to a stop outside of his apartment and he unbuckles the seatbelt. “Thanks for the ride. Where are you going?”   
  
“Nishishinbashi. It’s not far. Goodnight, Kyoutani.”   
  
Kyoutani nods, he slides from the car. “Night.” He says quietly then closes the door and walks to his apartment building, pushing open the door and rushing up the stairs to get away from Numai.   
  
As if it’s going to make Kyoutani forget how much he wants to kiss Numai.   
  


* * *

  
Kyoutani is glad for the weekend. He knows he should stay away from the night club, to avoid bumping into Numai again, but he changes into a burgundy crop-top and dungarees. He walks to the club, it’s roughly fifteen minutes, and pays at the door. He goes to the bar first, ignoring a few looks he gets.  After a few drinks, he slides from the barstool and joins the crowd. He’s looking for Numai. Kyoutani tries to get lost in the flow of bodies, he slips his arms free from the denim straps and lets the top-half fall to his hips. Someone’s fingers brush against the visible bare skin of his back and he turns, irked to see a stranger close to him.   
  
He dances, wishing the entire time that it was Numai next to him. He gets bored pretty quickly and pushes his way back to the bar, he throws back a few more drinks, strong shots that he hopes will melt away the memory of Numai. He doesn’t know if Numai works the weekend at the clinic, and Kyoutani isn’t sure if he hopes Numai is working or not.   
  
“Whiskey, dry.” The familiar order and voice make Kyoutani’s head shoot up. Numai glows under the multicoloured lights and Kyoutani lets himself stare, eyes following the dark lines of his tattoos over his arms. Numai’s muscles move as he pays for his drink, then his eyes flicker down to meet Kyoutani’s, he doesn’t look surprised at the attention and smiles as he takes a sip of his drink. “Hey, seems we keep running into each other.”   
  
“Yeah,” Kyoutani finds the word slide out easily, and he knows he has the alcohol to thank for that. “You look good.” His eyes trail over the stark-white of Numai’s tank top, the line of dark suspenders dipping to black ripped jeans. The skin of his legs pokes out at the right spot for Kyoutani to notice more tattoos, and he wonders if there’s any part of Numai’s body untouched by ink. “Where do you live?”   
  
“Ichigayakagacho.”   
  
Kyoutani scoffs out a chuckle. He orders them both a shot and pushes one towards Numai. “You’re a long way, just for a night club?”   
  
“It’s better. Shinjuku is a lot different from Chiyoda. I prefer it here, there are actually clubs where I’m welcome.” He finishes his whiskey then picks up the shot and throws it back. “You look great. You were wearing a crop top last time too.”   
  
“Uh,” Kyoutani looks down, suddenly more embarrassed that he slipped off the straps of his dungarees. The waistband of his boxers is poking out of the denim and his fingers twitch to pull the straps back up over his shoulders. “They’re comfortable.”   
  
Numai orders more drinks for them and they pick up a shot, he turns to Kyoutani and reaches out, curling his arm around Kyoutani’s. “A toast, to comfort.”   
  
“Sure.” Kyoutani lets his arm fall around Numai’s and their eyes meet as they throw the liquid back. They spend some time at the bar, Kyoutani gets bored again and pushes away, he grabs Numai’s wrist and pulls him to the dancefloor. It’s busy and they’re pushed together by the people around them, Kyoutani almost squeaks when Numai’s hands slide over his waist.   
  
Numai pulls Kyoutani’s body to the beat of the music and they move along together, Numai’s head dips down and his lips brush tantalisingly against Kyoutani’s ear. “You feel really warm.”   
  
“It’s a club.” Kyoutani huffs, even with alcohol, he still manages to be bristly. Even as he melts under the touch of Numai’s hands. “I’ve been drinking. What d’you expect?” Numai snorts, a chuckle rumbling his chest against Kyoutani’s. Kyoutani slides his hands up Numai’s arms, his fingers following the patterns of his tattoos. “I didn’t expect you to have more.”   
  
“I like tattoos. My sister did the one on my right hand.”   
  
“She’s good. All of them look amazing. When I saw you here before, I noticed the one on your side. Just how many do you have?”   
  
“That one on my side goes down to my thigh, then I have a snake covering the bottom half of my left leg, which goes onto my foot. I have a few different ones on my right leg, you can see some now. One on my chest and one on the right side of my back. I want more, some to cover the space on my right arm, and another one on my back.”   
  
“Tattoos and piercings...You sure you’re not a Kumicho?”   
  
“If I was, would you stop dancing with me?”   
  
“No. Don’t give a fuck what you do.” Numai snorts out another laugh and Kyoutani melts further. Everything about Numai is amazing and seeing him laugh so freely like this makes his chest feel warm; Kyoutani has the chance to stare at the way Numai’s lips curve, how his eyes scrunch, the glint of his tongue piercing….Kyoutani can’t help himself, he curves his hands over Numai’s shoulders and pulls him into a kiss.   
  
There’s so much warmth behind it that Kyoutani swears he does start to melt. The noise of the club fades away, like Kyoutani might have floated off with Numai and nothing else matters. Someone gets too close, their elbow digging unceremoniously into Kyoutani’s spine and the moment snaps, like a band pulled too tightly,   
  
Kyoutani springs away, half ready to punch whoever hit him. The first thing he sees is Numai’s red lips and he steps back quickly, as if he’s just been burned, everything runs through him but the thing that stands out the most is  _ fear _ . He just kissed his boss, after throwing back some drinks...Drinks that Numai saw. He spins around and darts through the crowd, ignoring when he hears Numai shout his name.   
  
Kyoutani gets a cab home and sprints up the stairs to his apartment. He slams the door behind him and slides to the floor, dropping his head into his palms. He’s unable to shake Numai’s face, whose cheeks had been tickled pink and his eyes trained on Kyoutani’s lips. He brushes his fingertips over his lips, remembering how Numai’s lips had felt—it had felt right, as if they were made for each other.


	3. how to: run from the mess you made

Numai is hooked on Kyoutani. He can’t stop thinking about the kiss and wondering if it would have happened without them having a few drinks first. He knows he would have kissed Kyoutani regardless, he’s been thinking about it since the first time he caught Kyoutani at the nightclub. The small patch of exposed skin between his cargo pants and crop-top had driven Numai insane, he’d been dying to let his fingers flutter against the bare flesh.   
  
He’d gotten his chance, when he saw Kyoutani at the nightclub again. Numai knows he wouldn’t have gone back there if he hadn’t seen Kyoutani. It had been a one-off, just since someone at the clinic had been talking about the club, and seeing Kyoutani had been a bonus, Numai found himself being pulled in, ever since learning how genuine he was. It was definitely a rare trait in his line of work.   
  
Usually, Numai sticks to his number one rule of not having relationships in the work-place but that doesn’t seem to matter with Kyoutani, somehow it feels like he’s outside of those rules and Numai wishes he knew why. It’s not even like there’s anything between them at all, just one drunken kiss, and Kyoutani walked away.   
  
Numai can see Kyoutani’s desk from his office, and the chair is empty, it stings somewhere deep in his chest. With a soft sigh, he gets up and calls Ikeda to his office, greeting him with a smile, they take a seat then Numai speaks. “Has there been word from Kyoutani-san?”   
  
“Just now, I was going to tell you when I had a minute to spare. I’m not sure who he’s with but Akiha-san didn’t recognise the voice, the guy who phoned said Kyoutani-san is sick.”   
  
Numai nods, feeling sicker than what Kyoutani likely really is. He didn’t even have the gall to phone himself, he had someone else do it for him— _ another guy _ . It settles in his stomach, bubbling with unease. “I see. Well, I was thinking of taking a break, so you’ll have to keep me updated, and in the meantime, I am going to leave things under your control. I trust you.”   
  
“Thank you, sir. I’ll make sure to keep a tight running ship.”   
  
“I’d hope so. You can go back to work.” Ikeda nods, he gets up and bows then slips out of the office. Numai sighs again and returns to his own work.   
  
It’s a long day, agonising and slow, the worst day Numai has ever had to work. He finally walks out at five and heads to his car, he checks the traffic, it’s a fifty-minute journey to drive from the office, to Kyoutani’s place then his own and finally to his sisters. But he puts in all the information anyway and sets off. He parks outside Kyoutani’s place, waiting a moment before finally stepping out of the car. After checking the list of apartment numbers, he pulls open the access door and climbs the stairs up to the second floor, along to the fourth door.   
  
Numai takes a breath then knocks, he hears some rustling but no-one answers, and his jaw clenches when he realises that Kyoutani probably just looked through the peep-hole and then backed away. He knocks on the door again, harder this time and there’s still no response. “Kyoutani, I know you’re in there. Please talk to me. I need to see you before I go…” There’s a shift and a soft noise, but still the door doesn’t open. Numai slams his palm on the door, he knows he shouldn’t, but he’s annoyed out of his mind. “ _ Fine _ . I’m going back to Nerima for a while, so you can go back to work, you won’t see me. Why are you doing this? I don’t...Understand. Just talk to me.” No answer, nothing. Numai huffs and pushes away from the door. “Do you think I kiss just anyone? If I didn’t want to, I would have pushed you away.”   
  
It still gets no response and Numai leaves. Kyoutani, sitting on the other side of his door, touches his lips, thinking back to the kiss and how right it felt but he knows he can’t let anything happen. Nothing would come from a drunken kiss.   
  
He isn’t what Numai needed.   
  


* * *

  
Work is strange without Numai. Kyoutani knows he shouldn’t be avoiding him, it isn’t going to help their situation and now it feels like Numai is ignoring him in kind. Kyoutani can’t stop thinking about the kiss, or the fact that Numai had said he wanted to...Numai wanted to kiss him, and Kyoutani can’t stop thinking about the sliver of hope that Numai is serious. Kyoutani can’t let himself believe, not when Numai deserves so much better.   
  
It takes almost two months for Numai to return. The second Kyoutani eyes him, he sees a difference, he’s not shining as he usually does and Kyoutani’s mouth goes dry. He can only think one thing:  _ did I cause that? _ And he considers following Numai into his office and kissing him again, just to put an end to whatever this was.   
  
Numai looks as good as always though, even while he’s not smiling. He’s not wearing his usual grey or navy suit, he’s in all black, a dark-red shirt underneath. He doesn’t even glance Kyoutani’s way, and it hurts even though he knows he shouldn’t expect anything less.   
  
The day is horrible. Lunch comes around eventually, Kyoutani walks into the break room, just as Numai is making a coffee, he’s missing his jacket now and his sleeves are rolled up. He looks far too enticing and Kyoutani lets his eyes follow the tattoos, lines he touched and remembers like a constellation etched into his brain.   
  
“You got a new one.” He finds himself speaking, the words tumbling out before his head processes them. Numai nods, but doesn’t say anything and Kyoutani almost huffs out a laugh, it’s a mirror image of the way things had been when Numai was at his door. “Can we talk?”   
  
Numai huffs, he grabs his cup of coffee once the machine is finished then he turns his head to Kyoutani. “You want to talk now? It can wait until after hours, come to my office and we can talk then.” Kyoutani nods then Numai walks past him back to his office. Kyoutani makes a drink then returns to his desk, glancing once towards Numai, whose head is already back in his computer.   
  
By the time the workday is finished, Kyoutani is almost itching to talk with Numai. The last person walks out and Kyoutani logs out of his computer then hurries to Numai’s office, stopping before he’s anywhere near the chairs. “Numai-san, I’m sorry for what happened between us.”   
  
“Which part are you sorry for?”   
  
“Everything,” Kyoutani sighs, fidgeting a little where he stands. Numai gets up from his seat and walks across the room, so they’re almost toe-to-toe; he reaches up and his fingers brush over Kyoutani’s cheek. Kyoutani swears that his heart stops, he reaches up too and his fingers curl over Numai’s wrist. “I’m sorry for it all.” He forces himself to push away Numai’s hand and takes a step back. “It was just a drunken kiss. It didn’t mean anything.”   
  
“It didn’t feel that way. I still remember your fingers over my tattoos, don’t pretend with me, please. I’ve been honest with you.”   
  
Kyoutani swallows down a lump rising up in his throat. “I am being honest. I’m sorry that you thought it meant something, but it really didn’t. I was drunk and stupid, that’s it. That’s why I was avoiding you. I didn’t want to hurt you, but you wanted me to talk. I’m talking, does it make you happy?”   
  
“Really?” Numai laughs, no humour behind it and he steps back, giving Kyoutani the space he wants. “You’re something else. A real piece of work. It must be really fucking funny to you. You tell me I’m lonely, you drink with me and take me to the dance-floor. You kiss me, and now you’re telling me it all meant nothing. You were just pulling me along?”   
  
Kyoutani wants to cry, he wants to scream, he wants to take it all back and kiss Numai like nothing else matters—and really, it doesn’t matter, all that Kyoutani wants is right in front of him. But he can’t do it, he can’t pull Numai into his shit. “Yeah,” He forces it out, as if he’s spitting in Numai’s face. It’s all he can do. “Nothing was ever going to happen for real. It was a drunken mistake.”   
  
“Get the fuck out,” Numai growls, glaring at Kyoutani. “ _ Now _ . I never want to see you here again.” Kyoutani holds his tongue and leaves. A solid picture of Numai stuck on his brain, folded arms and dark tattoos, an unmistakable undercut, piercings...None of it would leave his brain, the train ride home doesn’t help, he feels incredibly downcast and frustrated.   
  
He gets in and goes to drop straight onto his bed, grabbing the TV remote to flick through the channels. Kyoutani knows he's being stupid, that he should really go back and apologise, but he can't let himself. He's already ruined Numai enough, he doesn't deserve any forgiveness.   
  


* * *

  
After a week, Kyoutani finally finds a new job. He gets stuck into it, so he can put Numai behind him, as if nothing happened at all. (Like they never met.) The new job isn’t as fun as working for Numai. It's a similar thing, he's processing spreadsheets that manage the sales made by the company and all he can do is imagine Numai walking around the room...Numai’s office off to the left, just over his shoulder, and he wishes it was still like that.   
  
Kyoutani stays away from the club too, even though he’s itching to go back, to have another chance to see Numai...To try and fix what’s happened between them. He’s at fault for it all, if only he hadn’t gone back to that club after seeing Numai there; he should have stayed away from Numai. There was just something about him that made Kyoutani lose sight of his long-winding lonely road.   
  
Kyoutani was a hypocrite, the only reason he’d seen that Numai’s loneliness was because he’d seen it in himself. He’d let himself foolishly believe that they shared something, that they could be the same, but they weren’t and they never would be. There was too much of a gap between them. Kyoutani could never close that and he was never any good at giving chase.   
  
*** * * * * ***   
  
Numai is still angry, even days later. It rushes through him in waves and he hangs onto it, as if it’s going to make him hate Kyoutani. It won’t, he still cares too much. He wishes they could go back to their second night at the club, to the kiss, so he could pull Kyoutani back and stop him from leaving.   
  
He so desperately wants things to be different. He works at the office until closing, works the five hours at the clinic and then drops by the night club, not to drink. He never sees Kyoutani there. He wishes he did, he wants to see him again. So he could take back the words he’d spat at Kyoutani. Numai knows, if Kyoutani really is being honest, then he can’t change those feelings. He can’t make feelings exist if they aren’t there.   
  
Numai has been close to Kyoutani, close enough that he can spot a lie. He doesn’t need to see it either, he can feel it deep-down, that Kyoutani’s hiding from him, covering the truth with a hurtful lie. Numai hates that, but he can’t hate Kyoutani, he likes him too much for that. He wants everything to go back, so that they can start again and try over.   
  
There’s no such thing though, and Numai can’t take back telling Kyoutani to never return, just like Kyoutani can’t take back the things he said...The string he said he’d been pulling, it’s worn and frayed now, no saving it. All Numai can do is wait, and hope, that he’ll get to see Kyoutani, that they can talk in a more meaningful way and he can finally know just why Kyoutani wants to push him away.   
  
If not...If it’s the last chance, then Numai will stay away. He knows he always has a home in Nerima, and he can always run the company from there...Maybe it’ll be easier for him to do what his grandfather wants.


	4. truth doesn't change the way you lie

The days drag by painfully slow. Kyoutani finally finds a free night, he changes into black ripped jeans and a black crop-top then heads for the club. He almost turns back, he knows he can go to the store for alcohol, he could stay home and continue pretending like Numai doesn’t exist. But Kyoutani has had enough with all that. Deep down, he wants to see Numai.   
  
Once he’s inside, he finds a familiar spot at the bar and orders a glass of rum. He drinks it quickly and more soon follows, until he’s got enough liquid courage to slip to the dance floor. He doesn’t even care when a stranger brushes up against him, a warm palm against his skin; Kyoutani lets himself sink into the music and everything else drifts away. He pretends it’s Numai next to him.   
  
Then the warm hand leaves his body and he shivers under a colder touch, his head tipping upwards to meet deep-brown eyes. Eyes he knows well, a familiar glint of steel at the brow.  _ Numai _ . “Are you here to dance?” Kyoutani nods, Numai’s head dips into his shoulder, a breath ghosts over his skin and has him falling apart. “I’ve been waiting to see you here.”   
  
“I’ve been busy. Work’s rough.”   
  
Numai nods, sighing softly. “You could come back.”   
  
“I don’t want to. I’m happy there and you told me not to come back. You should stay away from me too, it’s for the best. I told you how I feel and it’s not what you want. You want something that I can’t give you.” Kyoutani mentally swears at himself, he was supposed to be  _ honest _ right now, not spewing the same lies all over again.   
  
“I don’t believe you. I won’t give up, nothing you can say will make me want to walk away from you.” He turns Kyoutani around and slides his fingers over his jaw. “You’re telling me that this is it? A silly little drunken thing.”   
  
“That’s right,” Kyoutani forces himself to push Numai’s hand away. “It won’t happen again, so back off. You need to leave me alone.”   
  
Numai rolls his jaw, he steps back and huffs out a short laugh. “Fine, walk away then. If that’s what you truly want.”   
  
“You know we don’t belong in the same world. You say you wanted to kiss me, but you don’t even know me. You just happen to be my former boss, there’s nothing else about it.”   
  
“Let me in then, let me get to know you. I really thought you were a genuine person, and it’s why I like you. But right now, you’re far from that, you’re lying to me and I don’t understand why. I want to let you in, if you believe we live in separate worlds, then I’ll do everything in my power to prove you wrong. I’ll prove that I’m being truthful.”   
  
“Bullshit,” Kyoutani spits back, ignoring the steady thump of his heart, ignoring how it races at Numai’s words. “You’re no different from what I’ve learned. Just a rich boy throwing his money around. Doing things to make themselves look better.”   
  
“What the hell does that mean?”   
  
“Me, I’m not a fuckin’ experiment.”   
  
“I don’t want you to be, I’d never do that. I just want to get to know you, I really want to kiss you again too.”   
  
“Typical. It’s all about you, and what you want. Do you even listen? I told you to leave me alone, that’s what I want.” Kyoutani rolls his eyes and turns away from Numai, it stings deep inside him, but he walks away, pushing through the crowd of bodies so he can get outside. He makes it halfway down the street before he glances back, Numai hasn’t followed him.   
  
Kyoutani isn’t sure why he feels so annoyed by it when he was the one who pushed Numai away. He turns forward with a huff and practically stomps the whole way back to his apartment, slamming the door behind him.   
  
**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~**   
  
The next day at work is pretty boring, Kyoutani feigns interest during the meeting, something about some guy coming in to finalize a pretty big deal, and:  _ “Make sure the reports are ready, Kyoutani-san.” _ So he does, and they’re glowing the way they should. He finishes his other tasks too and perks up when Ishima calls him to the office, he grabs the reports and makes himself comfortable when Ishima tells him to.   
  
Not long later, the door opens. Kyoutani swallows, steeling himself when he catches Numai’s gaze...Of all the people who had to be coming in, why was it Numai? “Thank you again for making time today, Numai-san.” Ishima smiles, Kyoutani keeps his focus forward, away from Kyoutani.   
  
“It’s no problem, it’s great to finally meet you in person, Ishima-san.”   
  
“Please, take a seat. This here is Kyoutani Kentarou, he’s in charge of all of our reports, he’s doing an amazing job.”   
  
“Hello.” Kyoutani forces out, bowing his head to Numai. “Here are the reports.” Numai is still smiling, he unfastens the button on his jacket and takes a seat, Kyoutani hands over the reports to Numai, who flicks through them, with his gaze down and Ishima watching, waiting for his response, Kyoutani lets his eyes run over Numai’s appearance. He’s wearing a beige suit-jacket, that has a pattern etched into it, with a brown-underside, matching brown pants and a crisp white shirt.   
  
Kyoutani itches to touch the flash of skin from where his shirt parts at the collar, he shifts his gaze away just as Numai looks up at Ishima. “This all looks wonderful. I’d definitely like to go forward with our mutual client. You needed me to sign something, right?”   
  
“Yes, that’s right.” Kyoutani quickly takes back the reports and he watches as Numai leans forward to fill out the paperwork from Ishima. “Thank you again, Numai-san.”   
  
“It’s my pleasure,” Numai sits back, eyes glancing over to Kyoutani. “Would you mind if I discussed a few other things with Kyoutani-kun?”   
  
“By all means, go ahead, he’s the best person to explain everything to you from our reports. You can use this office.” Ishima stands up, bowing to Numai, then he leaves them alone. Kyoutani’s heart pounds loudly in his ears, slowly he glances to Numai, who’s holding his hand out.   
  
Kyoutani hands back the reports, hardly paying attention as Numai reads a few of the things from the reports, he’s hanging on the changed honorific, like Numai doesn’t respect him as much any more. It’s only right, Kyoutani has done everything he can to push Numai away, he doesn’t even hear the question Numai asks, his eyes locking with Numai’s soft-brown. “Kyoutani-kun, we need to work together. Help me understand this.”   
  
Numai turns the report to him, pointing out the part that he’s asking about. Kyoutani clears his throat and explains the process. When they’re finished and both stand, Kyoutani reaches out, gently touching Numai’s wrist, Numai pulls back quickly and Kyoutani sighs. “I’m sorry,” He whispers.   
  
“You accuse me of playing games, but you’re worse. Don’t tell me you want me to stay away and then act like you’re trying to pull me back. You don’t want to date me, or know me. Stop pretending you’re sorry for that.”   
  
“I...I’m not. It’s not that. You’ve already told me what’s expected of you, you need to go off and marry some fancy girl. If your grandfather won’t even accept that you won’t take any of the girls he throws your way, what on Earth makes you think that he’d accept you dating a poor  _ guy _ ?”   
  
“That’s not any of his business, and it’s not like that matters to you. Especially not now. At least be honest, any of this  _ truth _ you speak won’t change the lies you’re hiding behind. It’s not you being poor, or me being rich, or us both being guys, or even my grandfather. You’re just a coward.” Numai shoves the report back at Kyoutani. “I don’t need to take this with me. Now if you don’t mind, I need to go back to work.”   
  
Kyoutani looks down at the paper, not watching as Numai leaves. He returns to his desk, but he can’t focus, Numai’s words are running through his head at light speed. He knows Numai is right though, he’s more scared of what people will think of them, it’s got nothing to do with anything else.   
  
But he can’t change what he’s said to Numai, he can’t make this right.  _ Can he? _


	5. the right thing

A few nights later and Kyoutani is sick of putting things off, he’s sick of ignoring Numai, and pretending that nothing happened. He needs to fix it. It’s late at night, Kyoutani finishes work then walks to Numai’s building, his car is still in the lot and Kyoutani couldn’t be happier. He waits there and when Numai finally walks out of the building, Kyoutani stands up straight. “Hey.”   
  
“I thought you didn’t want to see me.”   
  
Numai’s short response doesn’t phase Kyoutani, he’s used to acting that way himself and he’s seen people’s response to know he’s been overly-bristly. Kyoutani steps forward and slides his fingers up Numai’s forearm, over the spot where his jacket and shirt cover the new tattoo. “I lied. I always want to see you. If you still want to see me, I’ll give it a try,” He sighs softly, slowly pulling his arm away. Numai’s fingers curl around his wrist, stopping Kyoutani from moving and he blinks up at him, a little surprised. “Are you willing to forgive me?”   
  
“You’re being honest now. Guess I said something right.”   
  
“God, you really are such a rich boy, you run your mouth so much.” Kyoutani smirks, Numai chuckles, gasping when Kyoutani pulls him down. “And you’re too damned tall.” He kisses him, smiling when Numai’s hand slides around his waist, lips pressing into the kiss.   
  
When they pull away, Numai is grinning and Kyoutani nudges their noses together. “Can I take you to dinner?”   
  
“Sure. We’re both dressed nicely enough.”   
  
Numai snorts, he presses a soft kiss to Kyoutani’s lips then leads him to the car. “Actually, there’s an Udon place just around the corner, if you wanna walk there.”   
  
“Come on, Kazuma,” Kyoutani chuckles. “Don’t go cheap on me.”   
  
“You certainly sway me with your words. What do you like? Italian, Sushi, Korean, Curry, name anything.”   
  
Kyoutani really wants to answer:  _ you _ . But he isn’t sure what good taste the joke would be, especially so soon, so he shrugs instead. “Curry’s good.”   
  
“Alright, that’s fine with me, hop in.” Kyoutani nods, reaching up to kiss Numai on the cheek; he quickly walks around the car and jumps in once Numai unlocks it. Numai climbs in too, he throws his jacket into the backseat. He looks up the nearest restaurant on his phone, then docks it and buckles in, Kyoutani following the motion. “Hey, Kentarou, you’re serious, aren’t you?”   
  
“Now? Yeah, I really am.” Kyoutani reaches over and slides his palm against Numai’s so their fingers can thread together. “I’d be a really shitty person to go on a date with someone as a joke, or kiss them...again. I’ve been wanting to kiss you more. I’m not going to hide behind shitty excuses anymore.”   
  
“Sorry...I shouldn’t have said that.”   
  
“It’s true though, I was. I was being really shitty to you, I’m glad you’re giving me a chance even after all of that.”   
  
“I’d be stupid not to. Now I’ve seen all these sides to you, I only want you more.”   
  
“You’re a fucking sap.” Kyoutani snorts, Numai pokes his tongue out and their hands slowly fall apart so Numai can drive. Kyoutani’s eyes are stuck on Numai’s lips, and they’re soon pulling up, across the street from the restaurant without him realising.   
  
“What?” Numai asks, glancing down at him. “Did you want another kiss?” He sounds smug and it makes Kyoutani shiver, he unbuckles the belt and climbs out of the car without a word to Numai. It only takes a few seconds for Numai to join him, their hands tangle together again and Numai smiles softly. “I’m only joking.”   
  
“I know. You just don’t realise how much of a tease you are, that fucking tongue piercing is going to be the end of me.” Kyoutani tugs Numai to the restaurant, they’re seated fairly quickly, still a little early to hit the rush of people pouring in after work. Kyoutani grabs a menu and passes one to Numai, who looks a little pink. “Are you blushing?”   
  
“...Yeah. It’s really different getting a compliment from you. I guess that’s something I have to get used to, you don’t hold your tongue.”   
  
“I just don’t see why I would. You’re not my boss anymore, you’re my date, and I’ll happily remind you just how fucking hot you look. It’s not just that either, you’re much more, and it’s amazing.”   
  
“Kentarou, you’re going to inflate my ego if you keep that up.”   
  
“That’s not always a bad thing.” Kyoutani leans over and squeezes Numai’s hand. “I do mean it though, you’re really amazing. You just happen to look great too.”   
  
“Thanks. I think you’re amazing too.” Kyoutani grins and Numai leans down to steal a quick kiss then turns to the menu. “Come on, I’m starving!” Kyoutani laughs softly and starts looking through his own menu, he’s not picky and settles quickly on a pork curry. “Do you wanna share the curry gyoza to start?   
  
“Yeah, that’s good with me. I’m eying up the pork.”   
  
Numai hums, eyes flickering over the dish Kyoutani mentions. “Sounds good. I think I’m going to get the katsu chicken. What do you want to drink? I can’t have alcohol since I’m driving.”   
  
“Soda is fine for me. Let’s just get one of them each. We can decide on dessert after if we’re still hungry.”   
  
“Perfect!” Numai smiles, he returns their menus and once a waitress stops by, he makes their order. Their drinks arrive pretty quickly and Numai takes a sip before reaching over to hold Kyoutani’s hand. “I don’t think I’ll get enough of this. It feels like I’m dreaming.”   
  
“You’re not,” Kyoutani squeezes Numai’s hand, a reassuring gesture. “Besides, that would mean I’m dreaming too, I’m pretty sure I’m not. I never had you pegged as a sappy type. I guess I should have expected it when you work at a clinic.”   
  
“I take care of the kids that come in. My sister says my heart is too big.”   
  
Kyoutani snorts, nodding. “She’s right. You’re giving me a chance, even after everything I did...All the shit I said.”   
  
“Kentarou, that really doesn’t matter to me. What matters is that you said sorry, and you were honest with me. I’d rather focus on the positive. You just need to know that if you hurt me, it’s not me you have to worry about, it’s my sister, she’s tough as nails. I trust you, I trust in your honesty, I always have.”   
  
“I don’t plan on letting you down. Or hurting you.” Kyoutani smiles softly and pulls up Numai’s hand so he can kiss his knuckles. “But it is nice knowing your sister could kick my ass if she wanted to.”   
  
“I like how you call me a sap, but you’re just as bad.” Numai chuckles. Their food arrives moments later and they pull away so they can dig in, sharing the gyoza equally. When Numai reaches his main, he leans over and feeds Kyoutani a piece of chicken, receiving some pork in return. They both smile and express compliments, humming happily as they make it through the food. “Do you have siblings?”   
  
“I do, I have an older brother and two younger sisters, twins. My brother is actually the one who called in sick for me.”   
  
Numai nods and finishes his bite of chicken before speaking again. “I was worried to ask about that after I heard. I thought that maybe you had a boyfriend you were keeping secret...It was horrible for me to even think that. I got jealous and I couldn’t sort my thoughts enough to know you wouldn’t hurt someone like that.”   
  
“Never. You’re the first guy I’ve liked since moving to Tokyo. At first, I told myself it was physical attraction, but then you kept proving me wrong and turned out ridiculously perfect so I really couldn’t help liking you.”   
  
“I’m not perfect,” Numai mutters, he eats some more of his chicken then takes a sip of his drink. “I remember your resume. You’re from Miyagi, right?”   
  
“I am. Born and raised in Sendai. I moved to Tokyo about five years ago. After I graduated from university, I came down here. I just wanted a little change of scenery.”   
  
“Sendai is nice, I went there before, for a conference. Did you enjoy living there?”   
  
“I did. It was really nice. Me, my siblings and our dads.” Kyoutani grins at Numai, he has a drink and quietly munches some of his rice. “Have you always lived in Tokyo?”   
  
“Yeah, I went to school in Nerima and moved to Chuo for university. It’s always been me, my sister and our parents, we’ve always been close with our grandparents too. I knew my grandfather wanted me to take the company for a long time. He asked my mom’s brother first, but he turned it down. Sometimes I wish I did, for a bit more of a normal life.”   
  
“Do you?” Kyoutani gently pokes Numai’s leg with his foot. “If you had though, we never would have met.”   
  
“Hm, oh yeah, for sure.” Numai chuckles, snorting when Kyoutani hits him in the arm. “Not anymore. You’re a wonderful person, I wouldn’t pass it up if I knew. I’m glad we met, even if you’ve been a bit of a pain in my ass.”   
  
“That’s just me, Kazuma, you better get used to it.”   
  
“I’ll be fine. After all, I wouldn’t change anything about you.” Numai takes another few bites before asking another question. “Do you have any hobbies?”   
  
“Nah, not since university. I used to play volleyball. I played ever since I was young, I moved to Tokyo when I graduated from university and just never had time to get back into it.”   
  
“I played too, throughout junior high and high school. I quit after that to focus on university and the business. It was hard enough juggling two things.”   
  
“Yeah, I can only imagine, you’re crazy. You haven’t changed.”   
  
“I must have just gotten used to doing two things at once.” Kyoutani snorts; Numai leans over and quickly pecks Kyoutani’s lips. They return to their food, talking about their shared volleyball experience, and once they’re finished eating, Numai holds his hand out. “Let’s skip dessert.” Kyoutani nods in agreement and takes Numai’s hand. “Can I drive you home?”   
  
“Sure, it’s not far.” Kyoutani smiles; Numai pays the bill then leads Kyoutani out, both of them saying thanks to the staff on the way. They cross to the car and jump in with happy sighs. “I’m glad we’re leaving dessert, the meal was filling.”   
  
“It was really nice, I’m glad you enjoyed it.” They buckle up and Numai finds Kyoutani’s address and drives the short distance to the apartment, stopping close to the door. “Would you like me to walk you up?”   
  
“Damn, one date and you’re already inviting yourself up.” Kyoutani grins, Numai rolls his eyes and scoffs softly. “Sure, you can come up. It’s nothing fancy though.”   
  
“Doesn’t matter, it’s yours.”   
  
Kyoutani blushes, he clambers out and waits for Numai to get out too then heads inside, walking up to the second floor with Numai in tow. He stops at his door and slowly opens it, pausing in the entryway. “You wanna come in?”   
  
“My, my, Kentarou...One date and you’re inviting me in?”   
  
“Yeah, alright, I get it.” Kyoutani pouts, he kicks off his shoes and holds the door open for Numai, who walks in and slips out of his own shoes. “I bet your place is nicer.”   
  
“This is nice! It’s cosy, I like it.” He walks further in and Kyoutani follows him around the bend of his hall, he pokes his head into the door at the right (bathroom) then the one on the left (Kyoutani’s bedroom) and finally the one in front of him, into the lounge. “Wow, it’s really nice in here.”   
  
“Don’t tease me like that.”   
  
“I’m not, come here.” Numai wraps his arms around Kyoutani and pulls him into a hug. “Trust me, my place isn’t that special either. I like it here, it feels homely, it’s really cosy and it’s all yours. This is like a super-secret peek for me into your life.”   
  
“Is it?” Kyoutani looks up at Numai, who nods and smiles softly. “Okay. Then you have to repay me some time, show me a peek into your life.”   
  
“You’re welcome over whenever you want.”   
  
“We’re so gay.” Kyoutani chuckles. Numai laughs, snorting loudly as his head tips back. “You’re too damn cute.”   
  
“No! I hate my laugh.”   
  
“Adorable, I love it and I’ll make sure you love it too.” Numai leans down to Kyoutani and kisses him. “I wanted to ask you something.” Numai nods, he takes Kyoutani’s hand and walks to the sofa with him so they can sit down. “Thanks. When I was working at Ishuda Industries, I overheard some people saying you don’t date colleagues.”   
  
“They’re right, I don’t. But we’re not colleagues anymore, are we?”   
  
“No. That’s why I was wondering...We did kiss while I was still there, would you have changed your rules for me?”   
  
“Yes, and now we’re actually dating, I’m going to tell my grandfather that I’ve found someone. He can do whatever he likes, I’d give up everything for you.”   
  
“Holy shit. Don’t throw everything for me, you don’t need to. I’m sure he’ll understand, he already knows you’re gay so that’s half the battle.”   
  
“Yeah, maybe. It’s amazing how you’re so positive.”   
  
“I have faith in you. You seem to make anything happen, you gave me a chance with a job, you forgave my bullshit and you’re always working.”   
  
“It’s only eight until ten. I like doing it.”   
  
“ _ Only _ fourteen hours, you’re crazy Kazu.” Numai grins then they share another soft kiss. “See, you’re amazing, not everyone can make that work out. Don’t forget, I’ve seen you working through lunch time too.”   
  
Numai huffs softly and changes the subject. “There’s something else we haven’t shared yet. Birthday’s?”   
  
“You know mine, from my portfolio.”   
  
“Still, I want you to share with me. Mine’s August fourth.”   
  
“December seventh.”   
  
“You know, you’re just over a year younger than me.”   
  
“Oh, I’m lucky. Won over a fancy older rich boy.”   
  
“Well, as long as you don’t murder me for my insurance, we’re fine. And, knowing your birthday is coming up means that I can get you a gift.”   
  
“Oh, shut up,” Kyoutani snorts, he leans forward to kiss Numai. “It’s getting late, I’ll see you out. It’s tempting to keep you here though.”   
  
“It’s tempting to stay. Sometime in the future, maybe we could have a movie night and order takeout.” Numai takes Kyoutani’s hand, threading their fingers together. Slowly, they get up and walk back to the door, pausing with Kyoutani inside and Numai just on the doorstep.   
  
“Can I see you tomorrow?”   
  
“I’m working a late night at the clinic. Someone called in sick so I’m covering, but the night after. I can come pick you up, we can go grab food.”   
  
“Sure, and since you already know my work address, I don’t need to tell you.”   
  
“Yeah.” Numai smiles, he leans down and presses a kiss to Kyoutani’s cheek. “Goodnight, See you in a couple of days.”   
  
“Night, see you.” Kyoutani steps forward, watching Numai as he leaves and once he’s vanished into the stairwell, Kyoutani walks back inside, closing the door behind him. Unable to keep a smile off his face.


	6. all for you

It takes a little courage for Numai to meet with his grandfather, he leaves Ikeda in charge for the day and drives down to Yokohama. He meets Ishuda at a bistro and they sit down for lunch together. “Kazuma, are you going to tell me the reason why you came down here or are you leaving me in suspense?”  
  
“Sorry. The company is great, as you know.” Ishuda nods. Numai swallows and takes a quick sip of his drink. “I’ve found someone. I appreciate all your help over these years, and I understand if you want me to step down because of this but I have a boyfriend now, and it’s unfair to both of us if I don’t tell you. I won’t let him see me meeting with women you want me to marry.”   
  
Ishuda places down his mug and he leans over the table, gently squeezing Numai’s arm. “Kazuma, I have _always_ been proud of you, I’ve been proud to call you my grandson. I was still proud when you came out. I’m still proud now. Nothing is going to make me think less of you, and I thank you for being honest with me. I can make other arrangements to secure the businesses success, _you_ can too, I trust you. I wouldn’t want anyone else running things. Once you retire, a very long time from now, I know you will pick someone competent to take over.” He settles back, smiling softly. “Now, tell me about this boyfriend of yours.”   
  
“Sofu,” Numai grins, he can’t help himself. “Thank you, thank you so much. You want to hear about him?” Ishuda nods, still smiling and Numai settles back too. “His name is Kyoutani Kentarou. He’s a fireball. I really like him, he makes me happy. He used to work at the company, we got into a fight though and I kicked him out, so now he works at Silic Industries. It was a surprise seeing him there, but it helped us reconnect and figure things out. We went on our first date yesterday.”   
  
“Kyoutani. He sounds nice, you’ll have to bring him around some time so I can meet him. I’m glad he makes you happy, that’s all I really want for you. I never meant to pressure you with marriage, I let my business-brain take over and that was wrong of me. I only want you and Keiko to find happiness, like your mother and uncle did.”   
  
“It's okay, I understand. Your business has always been important to you and I respect that. Next time I come around for a visit, I’ll bring Kentarou with me.”   
  
“Yes, but don’t forget that family is first. I look forward to meeting him.” Ishuda sits up and has another sip of his coffee. “We should finish lunch first though.” Numai chuckles softly, nodding in agreement.   
  
**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~** **  
****  
**Kyoutani waits outside of the building for Numai to show, and when the familiar car pulls in, he smiles. Kyoutani hurries over and jumps into the car, once he’s comfortable, Numai reaches over to take Kyoutani’s hands in his own. “I have some great news. I saw my grandfather yesterday, it went really well. He’s going to support us and he wants to meet you.”  
  
“Really? That’s great, I’m so happy for you, and I’d love to meet him.” Kyoutani leans over and presses their lips together in a soft kiss. “So, dinner?”   
  
“Italian. My pick this time.”   
  
“How fancy. Let's go then!” Kyoutani grins, he buckles up and Numai snorts softly, putting in the address on his phone, he clicks one of the options then sets off. “So, when are you thinking of going to see your grandfather again?”   
  
“In a couple of weeks. I want to finish this contract with Silic Industries, I’d prefer my focus to be in one place, and I was hoping my sister would be free to come down too.”   
  
“Damn, at this rate I’m going to have to get revenge. You’ll have to meet my family too.”   
  
“It’s a deal,” Numai grins. They pull into the parking lot for the restaurant and both climb out of the car. Numai happily takes Kyoutani's hand and walks to the door with him, where they’re greeted by a cheerful hostess. She takes them to a table for two (Numai managed to book seats) and they make themselves comfortable, she leaves them with two menus and a promise that the waiter will be by soon. Numai flicks through, as does Kyoutani and hums softly as he reads over the options. “What do you think?”   
  
“They all sound fucking rich as shit.”   
  
“Kentarou,” Numai hisses softly, receiving a muttered _sorry_ in return. “I’m going to get the spaghetti.”   
  
“Uh, pork for me.”   
  
A waiter stops by, smiling at them both. “Numai-san,” He bows and Numai returns the gesture with his head, smiling up at him. “Cosa posso portarvi?”  
  
“Ciao, potrei avere spaghetti monograno felicetti con pomodoro dolce ricci di mare e limone. E maiale con patate novelle, bietola e crema di prezzemolo per lui. Un bicchiere ciascuno di Sangiovese."

“Scelta eccellente ve lo porto subito.”   
  
“Grazie.” The waiter takes their menus and leaves. Kyoutani’s stares at Numai, mouth hanging open. “What?”   
  
“You speak Italian.” Kyoutani states, and it’s very obvious because the waiter had understood Numai. “Holy shit,” He whispers softly. “I think you go out of your way to be that damned hot.”   
  
“Ken,” Numai chuckles, he leans into Kyoutani and softly kisses his lips. “It’s just another language. It’s not that big of a deal.” Kyoutani’s heart thuds loudly, and he’s not sure if it’s from Numai speaking Italian or the nickname that does it. “Are you comfortable here?” Kyoutani nods, not quite trusting his voice to come out right. “Good.” Numai smiles, he leans in again and their lips slide together, soft and smooth.   
  
It’s still a short kiss, one that leaves Kyoutani wanting much more, he doesn’t say anything though, he knows they’re in public and he enjoys holding Numai’s hand, enjoys kissing him...But some kisses can be saved for later. The waiter comes back with a bottle, he pours out two glasses of wine then puts the bottle into a bucket of ice, leaving it with them. Numai takes a sip and Kyoutani raises a brow. “Aren’t you driving?”   
  
“Last I checked, yeah.” Numai snorts and Kyoutani’s brows furrow, glancing at the glass then to Numai. “Don’t worry, we’ll be able to get back.”   
  
“What exactly are you planning?”   
  
“Nothing! I’m not going to drive if I’m drinking, and you’re going to call me rich boy again.”   
  
“Oh god. Firstly, you definitely are and you know that. Secondly, you have a personal driver, don’t you?” Numai shrugs, he picks up his glass and takes a drink, nodding slowly. “Hey, Kazuma.” Numai is pulled towards Kyoutani, barely setting his glass back down before he falls into Kyoutani. “Kazuma, you know I like you. It doesn’t matter to me that you’re a rich boy and it wouldn’t matter if you weren’t either. Tell me if my teasing is too much, okay?”   
  
Numai snorts, laughing into Kyoutani’s shoulder, where his head has fallen. “I know,” He pulls back and grins at Kyoutani. “I know and I will, I promise. I like you too.” He sits up and has another drink. Their food arrives seconds later and Numai repeats another thanks, waiting for Kyoutani to start. He twirls the spaghetti around his fork and takes a bite. “This is nice. How’s yours, tesoro?”   
  
Kyoutani finishes his mouthful and takes a quick drink. “It’s good. Fuck did you call me?”   
  
Numai snorts, he twirls some spaghetti and passes it toward Kyoutani, waiting for him to eat it. “Well, it has quite a few meanings. It’s closest to sweetie, but I like it as treasure.”   
  
“Treasure…?” Kyoutani’s brows furrow, he cuts a bit of his pork and feeds Numai. “I’m a treasure?”   
  
“Yeah, I think so,” Numai speaks after swallowing. “I need a nice nickname for you, since you call me rich boy.”   
  
“You called me Ken...No-one calls me that, I thought that was what you were going with.”   
  
“I like that nickname. It’s cute, but I still like tesoro.” Kyoutani blushes, digging back into his meal. “The pork is nice, by the way.” Kyoutani nods, blush deepening as Numai chuckles at him. They focus on eating and once their plates are empty, Numai turns to Kyoutani. “What did you think?”   
  
”It was really nice. Your spaghetti tasted amazing.”   
  
“The food is always great here, it’s Iko’s favourite spot. This is actually my first time coming without her.” Kyoutani smiles. It feels special, coming to somewhere that Numai’s only visited with his sister. “Do you want dessert?”   
  
“Nah, I’m good.” They finish their drinks and when the waiter comes for the plates, Numai asks for the cheque. After he’s paid, he slides out of his chair and reaches out for Kyoutani’s hand. Kyoutani stands, he takes Numais hand and follows him out to the car, once they’re comfortable, in the back, Kyoutani speaks again. “I couldn’t help but notice that the menu didn’t have prices.”   
  
“Oh yeah, it’s one of those places. I guess it’s easier to say rich people don’t care about a price tag.”   
  
“...It’s that expensive? You don’t need to spend loads of money on me, I’m a simple guy.”   
  
“It’s fine. I know you don’t expect that much, you joke about it, but I know you well enough to know you’d never ask for fancy things. Still, I’m in a position where I can treat you, so I will.” Kyoutani huffs, his face pulling into a small pout. “You’re cute.” Numai chuckles, he leans down and steals a quick kiss then sits back to pull his phone out. Kyoutani watches him talk and once he hangs up, Kyoutani smiles, reaching up to steal a kiss back. They huddle up together, keeping the cold night air out. Finally, a guy dressed in a full suit turns up, and Numai hands over his car keys. They all climb in and Numai speaks to the driver. “We’re going to Kentarou’s place first. It’s in the GPS.”   
  
“Right away, sir.”   
  
“Sir...” Kyoutani echoes quietly. Numai hits a button and a window comes up between the back and front seats. They buckle in, then Numai grasps Kyoutani’s hand, squeezing his fingers ever so gently. “You really are high-end.”   
  
“Yeah, I guess so.”   
  
“It’s not an issue. You’ve worked hard to make your money. You might have been handed the company, but you’re the one running it like a tight ship. You’re there every day. I’ve been at a lot of places, it’s the first time I’ve ever been somewhere where the boss sits in a glass office and watches people work, where they’d even bother to come out and check up with employees, where they do interviews and still work another job on top of all that.”   
  
“I’ll be honest with you, I don’t usually do interviews. It’s normally Ikeda-san, but I was interested in your resume. You had a glowing portfolio and I wanted to meet you so I knew why you couldn’t hold a job down. It was kinda selfish, if you really think about it.”   
  
“I don’t think it was. Even if you wanted to meet me and see yourself why I don’t get kept at a job, or hired, I believe that your motives run further. You wanted to know if I was going to be an issue working at the company.” Numai hums softly, brow arching up. “You’re not the type that strikes me as selfish. What did you do when you took over?”   
  
“I helped my sister buy her tattoo shop. We’re close, she never took our grandfather’s help, but I convinced her to take my help. She knew I’d let her be. Our grandfather has never been subtle with wanting us to find someone and settle down.”   
  
“That’s not selfish at all, and you are letting her get on with running things just how she wants to. You don’t expect her to get married, do you?”   
  
“No, she doesn’t even tell me when she starts dating someone. It takes about a month for her to admit it and bring them around.” The car comes to a stop and there’s a soft tap at the window between the front and back seats. “We’re back. We should go out tomorrow. I can get the train over if the weather is nice enough, then we can go walk around the park, maybe explore the shops, grab some lunch.”   
  
“What if it’s raining?”   
  
“Movies? I can drive, we can grab lunch. Maybe you could come over and I can cook dinner, you can see Shinjuku. We can talk about it.”   
  
“Yeah, sounds perfect. I’ll see you tomorrow then.” Numai nods, they lean over and share a soft kiss. “Goodnight, Kazuma.”   
  
“Goodnight.” Kyoutani unbuckles and climbs out, watching from the pavement as Numai’s car drives off then he quickly heads inside.


	7. longing

Kyoutani is up far too early the next morning. Excitement running through his body, making it hard to sit still, and he checks the weather outside a couple of times—too many times to count. Numai lets him know he's on the way, and Kyoutani heads out, walking the five minutes to the train station. He finds a seat and waits for the train to show up.   
  
It pulls in a few minutes later and he holds his breath, checking every carriage door. Numai steps out of the third carriage, and a smile breaks across Kyoutani’s face. He walks over and Numai smiles brightly, instantly reaching out so their fingers can tangle together. “Hey, it’s good to see you.”   
  
“Yeah, it is. Come on, I’ll show you the sights.” Kyoutani smiles, he leads Kazuma out of the station and down the road. There's a park nearby, it isn’t busy, only a few people with dogs are walking around, it’s the end of fall and a steady chill rests in the air. Numai and Kyoutani walk through half of the trail before finding a bench to sit on together. “You probably know Tokyo better than I do and I’m dragging you around.”   
  
“You’re not dragging me, I want to be here. I like you showing me around, I want to see things through your eyes.”   
  
Kyoutani laughs, he leans into Numai, resting his head on his shoulder. “You’re so gay.” Numai snorts, his hand coming up so his fingers can trace circles into Kyoutani’s shoulder. “I’m glad you like this though. Do you think it’s going to snow soon?”   
  
“It usually starts in January.”   
  
“It’ll be snowing now back at home. I like the snow.”   
  
“Does it usually snow on your birthday?” Kyoutani nods, humming softly. “I could make it snow for you but it would be fake.”   
  
“Fuck off, Kazuma. You’re not my sugar daddy, you don’t need to do anything fancy like that for me. There’s only one thing I want...Please, come to Miyagi with me.”   
  
“Kentarou, are you inviting me to meet your family?”   
  
“Why not? I want you to see where I grew up, all the back-streets where I used to practice for volleyball.”   
  
“That sounds awfully romantic.”   
  
“You’re saying that as if this isn’t. Or that last night wasn’t, with your fancy Italian.”   
  
“ _ Pensi che il mio italiano sia sofisticato? _ ”   
  
“I hate you.” Numai laughs, snorting loudly. Kyoutani’s heart flutters and he smiles softly. “You’re too adorable, I couldn’t possibly hate you.”   
  
Numai snorts, he pushes Kyoutani and takes a breath, calming himself down. “ _ I speak English too. _ I’m glad you don’t hate me, or my horrible laugh.”   
  
“ _ You can’t pull that one on me _ .” Kyoutani grins. His isn’t perfect, but it’s always been enough to het him by. “ _ You only get to show off your Italian. I learned English in university. _ You’re laugh isn’t horrible, it’s cute and anyone who says otherwise is a dick, you don’t make fun of someone who is expressing their enjoyment.”   
  
“Damn, I’ll just have to stick to the Italian then, it’s my one trump card. You’re really special, Ken. Truly amazing.” Numai smiles softly and Kyoutani blushes, turning a little to hide his face in Numai's shoulder. They sit there for a moment, and it lasts until Numai shivers. “We should go grab lunch. When the weather warms up again, we can do this properly.”   
  
“Yeah. Food sounds great.” Kyoutani stands and tugs Numai up to his feet. They walk to a ramen shop and the second they walk in, they’re greeted by friendly owners, telling them to sit anywhere. Numai finds a table for them and they sit across from each other. “This is my treat, simple and tasty.”   
  
“I’m happy wherever, if I’m with you.” Kyoutani slaps Numai’s hand with the menu, pouting softly. “You’re so cute.” Numai flips the menu around and starts looking through the options. “What do you recommend?”  
  
“I’m really not picky. But I think you’d like shoyu or miso, I usually get the tonkotsu with a boiled egg and the edamame starter, which we could share.”   
  
Numai hums softly, he reads over the descriptions then looks up with a bright smile. “I’ll go with the miso then.” Kyoutani smiles, he gets a waitress's attention and orders for them, along with a soda each. Once the waitress is gone, Kyoutani reaches over to take Numai’s hand. “Do I get to pick dinner later?”   
  
“Yeah, don’t get too fancy though, I’m not going to change my clothes.”   
  
“Don’t worry about it, how about we find an Izakaya?”   
  
“That sounds good. There’s a few near my place so we can finish here then maybe go back to mine? Watch some TV or something, look at the Izakaya.”   
  
“Or something?” Numai smirks. “What are you planning to do to me?” Kyoutani feels his entire face burst in a blush, he ducks his head down and when the waitress stops by with their drinks, he isn’t sure if he’s grateful or not. He takes a quick drink and glances back at Numai, who’s grinning. “You’re so easy to tease.”   
  
“You’re so mean to me. Isn’t it more likely for kids to tease someone they like?”   
  
“If you really don’t like my teasing, I can stop.”   
  
Kyoutani pouts, he folds his arms over his chest and mutters, “I never said that.” Numai snorts softly, he’s about to reach over when the waitress stops by with their food, they say their thank you’s and Numai grabs a pair of the chopsticks. He picks one of the edamame beans and leans over to feed it to Kyoutani, who blushes but takes it anyway with a soft smile.   
  
They share pieces of their food and feed each other the edamame beans. When they’re finished, Numai takes Kyoutani’s hand. “You ready to head back?”   
  
“Yeah. I’ll go pay.” Kyoutani stands up and goes to the counter, paying for their meal with a bright smile and a cheerful thank you. He returns to Numai and takes his hand again then they head out, walking back towards Kyoutani’s apartment. “This is nice.” Numai hums, glancing down at Kyoutani. “Spending time with you, going on a date.”   
  
“It is nice. I’m glad that we get to do this.”   
  
“We could have been doing this sooner, if I hadn’t been an idiot.”   
  
“It’s fine. We’re here now, that’s the most important thing.”   
  
Kyoutani smiles, he leans up to steal a quick kiss. They round the corner into another street and Kyoutani perks up. “Laser tag! We should do that, I bet I can beat you.”   
  
“Oh? You’re on. Winner buys dessert later.”   
  
“Sure, just a friendly competition.” Kyoutani grins and Numai smirks, Kyoutani quickly drags him across the road and into the building. They pay for an hour, halving the price between them; they suit up, grab the guns and head inside, splitting off quickly.   
  
Kyoutani finds a place to hide, clutching the gun close—he’s always been competitive, it came out the most when he had been playing volleyball. It’s no difference now, really, and he plans on taking Numai down in spectacular fashion. “Kentarou, I’m coming for you!”   
  
Kyoutani holds back a laugh, following the source of Numai’s voice. He catches a glint of metal and is grateful for Numai’s earrings, just a slightly unfair advantage that Kyoutani will definitely make the most of. He pokes his head around on the other side and replies. “You know, if we got married and you took my name, we’d have four of a kind.” He moves back, almost sniggering when he hears Numai squeak softly.   
  
“Don’t talk about marriage!” Kyoutani moves further around the other side, catching another glimpse of Numai who is facing the direction that Kyoutani just shouted back from. He pokes out a little further and Kyoutani takes the shot, hitting him square in the centre of the sensor over his chest. Numai’s head snaps, as he loses one of the lights. “You bitch.”   
  
“Now, now, Kazuma. Don’t be a sore loser.”   
  
“I haven’t lost yet.” Kyoutani snorts, he ducks back and retreats to where he was before he’d heard Numai’s voice. He starts following the room around to the right, swearing when he hears the beep from his sensor and one of his lights goes out. He spins around to be faced with Numai, who’s smirking. “Watch your back, babe.”   
  
Numai quickly ducks away when Kyoutani growls. Kyoutani slides through the middle of the room, hiding behind whatever pillar he can find. He gets Numai again then flees. Somehow, Numai seems like he has a homing beacon for Kyoutani and he gets him again in the back, this time, Kyoutani chases after him and corners him, reaching up to steal a kiss.   
  
“It’s almost like you’re dying to shoot me in the back.”   
  
“What’s this, having a time-out? Maybe I’m just getting revenge since you’ve been mean to me.”   
  
Kyoutani snorts, he pulls Numai into another kiss, smirking when the buzzer goes off.  _ “Green wins!” _ the announcement says and Kyoutani pulls back, swinging his gun. “Oops. Seems like you lose.”   
  
“You cheated!”   
  
“I wouldn’t call it cheating, it’s just strategy. Come on, let's get out of here.” Kyoutani takes Numai’s hand, and leads him out, chuckling as Numai continues to pout. They take off the sensors back in the entrance and hand everything back to the guy at the front, he wishes them a good day and they head out, continuing the walk back to Kyoutani’s apartment.   
  
They walk up the stairs and down the hall to Kyoutani’s door, he lets them in and they kick off their shoes then head into the lounge, dropping down onto the couch. Kyoutani puts the TV on and they settle back, with Kyoutani tucking himself under Numai’s arm. “I can’t believe you cheated.”   
  
“I can’t believe you shot me in the back.  _ Twice _ ! That’s cheating too, if you really think about it, at least you could see me every time I shot you.” Kyoutani grins up at Numai, laughing when Numai flicks his nose. “I’m looking forward to you paying tonight.”   
  
“Yeah,” Numai pulls out his phone and searches for an Izakaya, picking the one closest to them then scrolling through the menu. “What do you think?” Kyoutani hums, glancing over at the screen with a nod. “It’s not expensive. We could have a few drinks too.”   
  
“Sure.” Kyoutani nods, he sinks further into Numai, pulling his legs up onto the couch.   
  
Numai chuckles softly, his chest rumbling under Kyoutani’s head. “Are you tired?” Kyoutani hums in response and Numai pulls him over, so he can lay in his lap. “Get some rest, I don’t mind.” Kyoutani is far too tired to argue about it, so he nods and makes himself comfortable, dozing off peacefully in Numai’s lap, soothed by gentle fingers brushing through his hair.   
  
Kyoutani has a dreamless nap, it’s peaceful and warm, he isn’t sure how long he’s asleep for, he stirs to soft kisses over his head. His eyes flutter and he’s met by Numai’s soft smile, he smiles back and reaches up to brush his fingers through Numai’s hair. “Hey. What time’s it?”   
  
“It’s almost five.”   
  
“Fuck...Sorry,” Kyoutani pulls himself up and swings his legs back over to land softly on the floor. “Your legs must be numb by now, you didn’t have to stay there…”   
  
“I didn’t have to. I wanted to, it was actually comfortable.” Numai grins, he stands up and stretches out, wiggling his legs. “I feel okay. I do need to go to the bathroom now though.”   
  
Kyoutani chuckles, grinning when Numai leans down to kiss him and heads out of the lounge. Kyoutani stretches out then gets out and walks to his bedroom, so he can freshen up a little; he dumps his shirt on his bed and puts on some deodorant. Kyoutani jumps when Numai’s arms slide around his waist. “You sneaky shit.”   
  
“You left your door open.” Numai snorts, he kisses Kyoutani’s neck then his cheek. “You smell good.”   
  
“I just put some deodorant on, nothing special. Can I put my shirt back on, or do you plan on being my shirt?” Numai hums and Kyoutani tips his head up at him. “What the fuck are you doing?”   
  
“Weighing the pros and cons. It’s a good thing seeing you like this but since we’re going out it would mean other people would see you like this and I don’t really like sharing.”   
  
“Fuck off.” Kyoutani blushes and swats at Numai’s arms.   
  
“We could order from the Izakaya. I could run to the store for some drinks, then you don’t have to get ready. I could take my shirt off too.”   
  
“...You drive a hard bargain. You know I want to see your tattoos.”   
  
“Is that a deal then?”   
  
“Okay, sure.”   
  
“Great. I’ll run to the store now then and we can order when I get back.” Kyoutani hums, Numai finally moves his arms and they walk out of the bedroom and Numai heads to the genkan while Kyoutani returns to the lounge. He drops into the sofa and sighs softly, glancing down at himself with a frown.   
  
He hasn’t really done much over the years to stay in as much shape as he was back in university, he hasn’t really put on weight but his body isn’t defined like it used to be. Kyoutani isn’t entirely certain that Numai could find anything attractive about him. He’s never been completely shirtless around Numai, even if Numai has seen him wearing a crop-top.   
  
It leaves Kyoutani feeling self-conscious and he folds his arms over himself when he hears the door open. Numai appears through the door to the lounge moments later and takes the drinks to the fridge before dropping down next to Kyoutani. “That was quick.”   
  
“The shop wasn’t busy.” Numai smiles, he leans forward slightly and pulls his shirt off, dropping it onto the arm of the chair. Kyoutani stares, he reaches out to touch his back, letting his fingers flutter over the dragon tattoo. “Do you like it?”   
  
“Yeah, it’s really cool.”   
  
Numai glances back at Kyoutani, who quickly moves his hand and smiles shyly, tempted to cover himself up again. “You’d suit tattoos,” Numai reaches out towards Kyoutani, stopping a little short. “Can I touch you?”   
  
Kyoutani feels himself blush, he glances down at himself then back up at Numai. “If you want to.” Numai closes the distance, letting his fingers brush carefully over Kyoutani’s stomach then along his sides.   
  
“Maybe if you got one here.” He gently squeezes Kyoutani’s left side. Kyoutani shifts away from the touch and stares down at the spot where Numai had been touching. “Are you okay?”   
  
“Yeah…” Kyoutani whispers, he sighs softly then glances at Numai and takes his hand. “I don’t think I really look that good.”   
  
“You look amazing, Kentarou.” Numai reaches up with his other hand and cups Kyoutani’s cheek. “That doesn’t really matter to me. One day, we’ll both be old and wrinkly, but I care about you and I like you, no matter what. Believe me, you look perfect.”   
  
Kyoutani blushes again, he leans into Numai and kisses him. “Thank you,” He mutters against Numai’s lips. “It really means a lot to me. I was worried that you’d think I wasn’t attractive.”   
  
“I do. I think you’re beautiful. When we first met, I was sceptical, you looked like you hadn’t put any effort in. Then you came to work and looked a little like a different person, you look gorgeous in a fitted suit. When I saw you at the club, I was blown away, it felt like you were wearing that crop-top to ruin me. I wanted to touch you, I felt so lucky when you wanted to dance with me.”   
  
“I probably wouldn’t have done it if I hadn’t been drinking. I’m not confident enough to put myself out there like that, and you were my boss, I was worried what you’d think of me. I’m glad we danced, I’m glad we kissed but I wish I hadn’t ran away.”   
  
“I had been wishing I stopped you from going or chased after you but I was scared you’d push me away. It doesn’t matter now, we’ve made it, and now I plan to make you feel beautiful, because it’s what I see.”   
  
“Kazuma,” Kyoutani sighs softly, relaxing into the touch.”I know you’re right. The realistic side of me is saying that looks only last so long and it’s superficial compared to everything else. I think you’re gorgeous, but I care more about you, how kind and compassionate you are. But I still have the pessimistic side telling me that I’m actually gross and it’ll affect our relationship. I’ll listen to you, I’ll believe in you.”   
  
“Good, you deserve to feel beautiful because you are. If you’re uncomfortable sitting like this, please go pull your shirt on, your comfort comes first for me. You wouldn’t even have to say anything to me, you could just get up and go, I’ll understand.”   
  
“I promise you, I’m fine. If I do feel bad, I’ll go.” Kyoutani kisses Numai again and smiles softly. “But I’m comfortable here with you.”   
  
“That’s all I want.” Kyoutani places Numai’s hand back onto his side. Numai lets his fingers flutter over the skin, tracing uneven patterns and Kyoutani shivers, he lets himself relax into it. “Maybe we could look at tattoo designs.”   
  
“Sure. Could we look at food first?”   
  
Numai snorts loudly with his laughter. Kyoutani grins and grabs his phone, he pulls up an online menu for the Izakaya, cuddling up to Numai so they can read it together. “I wanna get the iidako skewers, the iwanaka pork and a roasted sweet potato.”   
  
“You pick so quickly.” Numai takes Kyoutani’s phone from his hand and scrolls through the options, humming softly. “Salmon skewers, yakitori chicken thigh and the kamachi kama.” Numai makes the order, paying on his card, he hands the phone back once he’s done and kisses Kyoutani’s head. “Pull up some tattoos.”   
  
“Alright, alright! Geez, you really wanna put me under a needle.” Kyoutani opens his internet browser and searches for some tattoo ideas. Numai points out a few that he likes, and Kyoutani hums, clicking them to get a better look. Nothing stands out immediately and he’s scrolling for a while before something grabs his attention, he clicks it for a better look and nods.   
  
“It looks good, maybe you could come to Nerima and get my sister to do it.” The tattoo really is nice, it's a compass with two arrows spanning outward, one vertical and the other horizontally through the middle. “It's good to start simple, I think there's a better feel for it.”  
  
“What was your first tattoo?”   
  
“The snake.” Numai shifts away from Kyoutani and Kyoutani has to stop himself from whining, he leans down and tugs up his left pant-leg, showing off skin covered with a dark tattoo of a snake. “My sister told me I was stupid for doing that,” He drops the fabric then settles back and snuggles up to Kyoutani. “She was right, there’s a lot of bone, not much muscle and it hurt like a bitch.”   
  
“And you want me to get one on my side?! My ribs are there, isn’t it going to hurt?”   
  
“Well, different people have different pain thresholds. You don’t have to start with getting one there, I just think it would suit you. Maybe you could get something on your bicep? You have a lot of muscle there.”   
  
“I’ll have another look. Are you thinking of getting something?”   
  
“Yeah, for the left side of my back. We can have another look after dinner.”   
  
“Sure. Do you have any ideas for what you want?”   
  
“Something geometry related, I’ve seen a few and I think they look cool. I want something else on my chest too,” Numai reaches up with his left hand and points to the blank space on the right side of his chest. “What do you think?”   
  
“I think you’re crazy,” Kyoutani snorts, he glances at Numai’s chest and raises his hand to rest over Numai’s. “It would look good.”   
  
“I want more,” Numai pulls his hand away and turns it over so his palm is facing upwards, “One here, on the inside of my arm. My shoulders,” He reaches up again and trails his finger from the end of his shoulder up to his neck. “And maybe my neck. I want something on my inner biceps too and the backs of my arms.”   
  
“Fucking hell, you’re addicted.”   
  
“I bet you’ll be the same, one is never quite enough.”   
  
“I’ll take your word for it.” Kyoutani moves his hand along, letting his fingers gently follow the lines of the tree. “Why did you get them?”   
  
“You want me to explain them all?” Kyoutani nods and Numai smiles, he gently takes Kyoutani’s hand and threads their fingers together. “The tree represents my family, not just those from blood, but my friends too, it’s a connection, me and them. That’s why it’s over my heart, it’s something really special to me. The ships on my left arm is because I’ve always loved travelling, I want to see what else the world has to offer, it’s actually the third tattoo I got and it was painstakingly long, I needed something on my body that captured my dream for my future, I didn’t want to be stuck at that company, unhappy and alone, I wanted more. I have you now, we should go on vacation together sometime.” Kyoutani blushes, but nods, glancing up at Numai’s face. “The snake was to mark my memories of Nohebi, that team helped me work out a lot of my issues and I really appreciated what my teammates did.”   
  
“You left that behind…” Kyoutani finishes for him, he leans up and kisses Numai. “I’ll go to Nerima with you, I’d like to see where you grew up and I’d like to see your school.”   
  
“I’d like that.” Numai moves his right arm, and Kyoutani grumbles at being shifted, he looks at the tattoo spanning over Numai’s skin. “This tree is for me. I lost myself for a while after I took the company, I was in a bad place, the work was too much,” He turns his arm over and follows the tangle at the base of the tattoo. “This is where I started, confused and overwhelmed, a complete mess.” He follows it, turning his arm as he continues upwards, to where the branches span out over his bicep and climb over his shoulder. “This is where I ended up, finding clarity and I wanted a reminder of the path I took.”   
  
“You’re strong, like this tree, you continue no matter what tries to get in your way.”   
  
“Thanks, I’m glad you think so.” Numai holds his hands out, with his palms downward. “I just liked the designs for these, the one on my right is my sister’s influence, Keiko always supports me and she loves flowers, I went with the geometry style to match how linear our relationship is. The left is to match my hope for travelling, a compass to point me in the right direction, it fits in with the ships.”   
  
“I’ll really have to give mine some thought now, a lot has gone into yours.”   
  
“My right leg is probably the only exception, there were just designs I liked so I got them done, the tattoo crave took over me. The last one, on my back, the dragon...Well,! Numai blushes slightly, “I’ve always been fascinated with dragons, my family used to visit Beijing every year, I thought they were magical. You can only imagine how disappointed six year old Kazuma was when he learned they weren’t real. I wanted to commemorate that part of my life, give existence to the magical dragon.”   
  
“Oh my god, you loser.”   
  
Numai bubbles with laughter, snorting loudly and wheezing each time he breathes in. Kyoutani stares at him, warmth fluttering deep in his chest, it’s probably the first time he’s seen Numai  _ really _ laugh and it’s adorable, it melts Kyoutani to the core. Numai takes a moment to calm down, wiping the edges of his eyes where tears had begun to form, he takes a breath then glances at Kyoutani. “I was a kid! I just wanted one tattoo to remember that silly childhood.”   
  
“That’s fine, why not enjoy it even as an adult?”   
  
“Yeah, why not.” Numai grins. “Onto the last one then, my left side,” Kyoutani hops up and moves around, sinking onto the sofa when Numai moves over. He raises his arm and Kyoutani follows the curve of the stairs with his finger. “This hurt a lot. The time it took and the placement. This is for all of the hard work I put in. Graduating high school, finishing my degree, becoming a doctor. I wanted to get something for myself.”   
  
“You deserve it,” Kyoutani pulls his hand back and smiles. “You really don’t make things easy on yourself.” Numai snorts softly, a knock comes at the door and Kyoutani hands over Numai’s shirt to him. “I’ll set the table.”   
  
“Sure.” Numai pulls his shirt on then hops up and heads out the lounge door. Kyoutani gets up too, walking along to the kitchen and grabbing the plates out, he sets the table. He’s just taking the drinks out when he hears the room door squeak a little. “Oh, that’s a horrible noise.”   
  
“Were you hoping to sneak up on me again?”   
  
“Maybe.” Kyoutani chuckles at Numai, he grabs the glasses and goes to the table, taking a seat just as Numai makes himself comfortable. He unpacks the bag, setting out Kyoutani’s food first before moving onto his own. He grabs a pair of the chopsticks then pours out a drink and digs into his skewers, humming as he eats. “This is good.”   
  
“You eat too quickly,” Kyoutani says, he pours a drink then steals one of Numai’s skewers, quickly replacing it with one of his own, he takes a bite and nods. “It’s nice.” He finishes the skewer, behind Numai, they put the sticks into the empty bag.   
  
Numai takes a bite from the skewer that Kyoutani gave him. “This was a good idea, it’s really nice.”   
  
“It was your idea to stay in.”   
  
“A great idea.” Numai grins and Kyoutani chuckles. They settle into their meal, occasionally stealing from each other's plate. Once they’re finished, Numai takes the plates and cleans up while Kyoutani disposes of their rubbish. Kyoutani joins Numai at the sink and starts drying up. “I asked my sister about going to Yokohama.”   
  
“Oh yeah?”   
  
“She’s fine with going in two weeks.”   
  
“I’m looking forward to it.” Kyoutani puts away the last few dishes then reaches up to kiss Numai’s cheek. “I hope your family will like me.”   
  
“They will love you. Come on, let's watch some TV.” Before Kyoutani can move past Numai, strong arms wrap around his waist and Numai hikes him up off the floor. He gasps and shoots Numai a glare. “I’ve got you.” Is all Numai says and he carries Kyoutani to the couch as if he’s done this a hundred times before.   
  
Once they’re settled, Kyoutani rests his legs over Numai’s lap and pouts at him. “How are you so strong?”   
  
“I work out. There’s a gym near my place that I usually go to on a weekend.” Kyoutani mutters something that doesn’t sound anything close to a real sentence. He turns the TV on then cuddles up to Numai, relaxing more as Numai’s fingers gently run through his hair. Kyoutani almost dozes off again in Numai’s arms, his eyes drooping a little, barely focused on the TV. “Ken, I have to go home.”   
  
“No, you can stay here.”   
  
Numai chuckles when Kyoutani’s grip tightens. “I don’t have anything to change into.”   
  
“I won’t peak,” Kyoutani mutters, pressing a soft kiss against Numai’s jaw. “You can sleep here.”   
  
“I’m not worried about you peaking.” Numai shifts, kiss Kyoutani’s head when he whines softly. “But I really should be going home. I don’t want to burden you.”   
  
“You’re not, I’m asking you to stay. You don’t have to, if you’d prefer to go home, but I want you here. Maybe I’m weird, and you don’t like that, this is only our third date...I just want to stay with you.”

  
Numai kisses Kyoutani's head again, and smiles down at him. “I want to stay, I really do. Even if this is only our third date, it kinda feels like we’ve put this off for long enough. I’m glad you said it, I thought I was being weird and that it would just be better if I left. You manage to find a way to make things easy for me.”   
  
“I have some making up to do. After the run around I gave you before.” Numai snorts out a laugh, he leans back and lets Kyoutani cuddle into him again. It’s surprisingly comfortable on the small couch and Numai is certain that it’s because of Kyoutani’s presence, he eventually drifts off, relaxed by the height and weight from Kyoutani’s body.


	8. family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the nsfw chapter

The two weeks until the trip to Yokohama seem to fly by. Kyoutani and Numai go on more dates together, when they have time between work—which is a little harder for Numai—so they usually meet up for lunch every other day when they are working. Kyoutani is still looking forward to going with Numai to Yokohama, he triple-checks his bag, to make sure he’s got everything that he’ll need for the weekend.  
  
The moment his phone buzzes to life with a message, he hurries to grab it. It’s a text from Numai, he’s waiting outside. Kyoutani throws his bag over his arm, dashing out of his apartment (barely making sure the door is locked) and sprinting down the stairs. Numai is parked just over the road and Kyoutani rushes over, jumping into the passenger seat and throwing his bag into the back. “Hey there.”   
  
Numai laughs softly, he leans over and kisses Kyoutani, who happily accepts, reaching up to cup his hand over Numai’s cheek. “Hi,” Numai says when he pulls back, smiling brightly. “It’s good to see you.”   
  
“It’s good to see you too. I’m so excited for this weekend, I hope everyone likes me.”   
  
“They will.” Numai kisses Kyoutani again and squeezes his hand before settling back and heading off. It’s around forty minutes to drive to Kohoku in Yokohama, they listen to music and chat about their plans for the weekend. Numai parks outside a sushi restaurant and leans over to kiss Kyoutani again. “They’re really going to love you.”   
  
“As long as they don’t chase me out, I think I’ll be fine.”   
  
“They won’t, come on.” They get out of the car then take each other’s hands and head inside. Numai finds his sister first, who greets them both with a warm hug. “Hey Keiko,” Numai grins, she doesn’t say anything and leads them to the table where Numai’s parents and grandparents are waiting. “Hi! Thank you all for coming.” He pulls Kyoutani under his arm. “This is Kyoutani Kentarou. Ken, this is my family.”   
  
Kyoutani bows. “It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”   
  
“Sit down, please, both of you.” Kyoutani looks up, met with a sweet smile. They take a seat and Keiko makes herself comfortable on the other side of Numai. “I’m Natsuko, Numai’s grandmother. This here is Hachirō,” She points to the man on her right. “He’s my husband. We’re so glad to finally meet you. When Kazuma went to meet with Hachirō, he came back smiling talking about this sweet boy that Kazuma wouldn’t stop talking about.”   
  
“Obaasan!” Numai hisses softly, pouting across the table at her.   
  
“Kazuma, we’re your family, we’re supposed to embarrass you.” Kyoutani chuckles softly, Numai hits his leg and he frowns up at him. “I’m Naoko, Kazuma’s mom.”   
  
“I’m Masako,” The last one leans over and Kyoutani feels like he shrivels under the gaze, he holds his hand out and Kyoutani gives it a firm shake. “Kazuma has told us a lot about you. I’m glad that he’s found someone who makes him happy.”   
  
“Kazuma makes me happy too, I’m lucky that I found him.”   
  
Masako smiles then relaxes back, Keiko leans over Numai, and gently ruffles Kyoutani’s hair. “It’s nice to meet you, Kyoutani-san! Kazu is absolutely lo-”   
  
Numai shoves her back, hand covering her mouth. “That’s enough out of you.” Kyoutani perks up, humming curiously. “Ignore her.”   
  
“Kids,” Naoko says, her voice steady and demanding, it even makes Kyoutani swallow. Numai and Keiko pull apart quickly and she smiles. “Thank you. Please behave around our guest.” They mutter out apologies and Naoko turns back to Masako.   
  
Kyoutani laughs softly and leans up to kiss Numai’s cheek. “You’re such a parasite single.” He whispers, Numai gently hits Kyoutani’s arm. “I’m really glad I came.”   
  
“Me too. My mom will be pulling out the embarrassing stories, I hope you still like me by the time she’s done.”   
  
“Depends how bad they are.” Kyoutani jokes, grinning up at Numai, and before he can respond, Masako gets the attention of the table so they can start ordering food.   
  
**~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~** **  
****  
**Lunch is great, Kyoutani doesn’t think it could have gone any better, and Numai seems happy too. His family were accommodating to Kyoutani, included him in their conversations and revealed some great embarrassing stories that Kyoutani will definitely hold over Numai’s head.  
  
He’s grateful that Numai rented a small apartment for the weekend, it feels a little more like a home—it feels like they could be living together. He can’t help but hope and think that maybe it will happen one day, they’ll get to be together all the time like this. They can go for lunch, enjoy some time together, go shopping, and cook dinner.   
  
Now they’re cuddled up on the couch, watching television. Numai turns to face Kyoutani and Kyoutani raises his brow, his breath knocks out of him when Numai leans forward and kisses him. It’s an eager kiss, and Kyoutani happily returns it, his palms coming up to rest on Numai’s cheeks.   
  
Numai pulls back a little, so their lips part and Kyoutani blinks at him. “What? Don’t you want to kiss me?”   
  
“That’s not even a question, Kentarou.” Kyoutani is about to ask what _is_ the question when Numai dives in for another kiss, his tongue presses against the groove of Kyoutani’s lips and Kyoutani happily opens, humming when that godforsaken tongue piercing brushes against his tongue.   
  
Everything about it is warm and inviting, Kyoutani loses himself in the steady press of Numai’s tongue. He pulls Numai closer like there’s any space left between them at all. The movie on the TV goes forgotten. Kyoutani’s hands are firm, cupping Numai’s cheeks as their lips slide in harmony and their tongues move together.   
  
Slowly, they pull away, panting softly. “Ken,” Numai breathes, his hands running along Kyoutani’s waist. “Can we move to the bedroom?”   
  
“Yeah. I’d like that.” They get up from the couch and Kyoutani takes Numai’s wrist in his hand, pulling him along to the bedroom. They reach the room and Kyoutani pushes Numai forward, so he falls to the bed and climbs over him, sliding his palms up Numai’s thighs. “Is this okay for you?”   
  
“Yeah. I want you to touch me.”   
  
“Good. Take off your shirt,” Kyoutani sits back, resting on his knees. He pulls off his shirt, watching Numai toss his own to the floor. “Damn, you’re a wholeass meal, Kazuma. Pants.” Numai lays back, and slides out of his jeans. “You really are covered in tattoos.”   
  
“I told you. I like them.”   
  
Kyoutani nods. He follows the line of them with the pad of his index finger, sliding slowly along the curve in Numai’s boxers. “I want to take this slow.” Numai swallows, watching Kyoutani’s fingers trail over his skin, tracing along the line of the tattoos, occasionally running along where his cock lays hidden by his boxers. “You okay with that?”   
  
“Yeah, it feels nice.”   
  
“Great. Tell me if it gets too much, we can stop.” Numai hums, nodding at Kyoutani. With that confirmation, Kyoutani’s hands splay up over Numai’s sides, his fingers pressing down into the flesh, he trails over the tattoo on Numai’s left side, eyes watching the way Numai’s eyes darken and his lips part. “Did you secretly bring me all this way so I could fuck you?”   
  
“No,” Numai blushes beautifully and Kyoutani smirks. “But I do want you to…” Kyoutani dips down and presses a line of kisses along the waistband of Numai's boxers. Kyoutani keeps his eyes glued on Numai’s face as he moves, he presses his teeth into the dip of Numai’s hips, nipping softly then sucking a mark into his flesh. “ _Fuck._ ”   
  
“You sound amazing.” Kyoutani’s fingers run up Numai’s thighs, sliding up under his boxers, then back down, he leans up and presses a kiss to Numai’s sternum. “May I?” Kyoutani fingers curl over the waistband of Numai’s boxers.   
  
“Yes, please.” Numai lifts his hips and Kyoutani slides off his boxers and throws them aside, he slides his fingers over Numai’s cock, he grips gently and slowly jerks the length. Numai moans, his hips shifting into the touch; Kyoutani is slow and gentle, leaning down to scatter butterfly kisses along Numai’s collarbone. “Ken.” Numai breathes, his fingers running over Kyoutani’s shoulders.   
  
“Lube?” Numai reaches down to where his bag is near the bed, he comes back with a small bottle of lube and drops it into Kyoutani’s hand. Kyoutani sits back, he slides his fingers over Numai’s thighs, shifting them upwards, he drops the lube over his fingers and warms it up before pressing his fingers against Numai. Kyoutani’s fingers are careful and slow against Numai’s rim, easing the muscles loose enough to slide a finger inside. “Holy shit, you’re tight.”   
  
“It’s been a while since anyone touched me like this.” Kyoutani holds onto Numai’s hip with his left hand and slides his finger in deeper, biting his lip when Numai moans, his head tipping back. “Kentarou.”   
  
“Don’t rush. I don’t want to hurt you.” Numai sighs softly, taking another breath. Kyoutani slides his finger slowly, working Numai loose; Numai’s breath hitches with every motion, soft moans filling the room. “If I knew just how amazing you sound, I would have done this sooner.”   
  
“I would have let you.” Kyoutani groans softly, he works a second finger into Numai and spreads him out further. Numai groans, his fingers curling into the sheets. “Please, just a little quicker.”   
  
“Kazu, are you sure?” Numai nods, shifting his hips towards the steady push of Kyoutani’s fingers. “Shit.” Kyoutani slides his fingers deeper, moving them quicker into Numai, he works him looser and adds a third finger. Numai groans louder, his hips rocking slowly into each thrust, Kyoutani bites his lip, working Numai’s muscles with his fingers. “You okay?”   
  
“Yes,” Numai breathes, he squeezes Kyoutani’s arm and reaches to grab a condom. Kyoutani looks at the wrapper settled between Numai's tattooed fingers, he glances up at Numai’s face and pushes his fingers deeper, curling them up into the tight heat. “ _Fuck_.” Numai gasps, Kyoutani almost pulls back but before he can think about it too much, Numai's hand on his shoulder slides down to his wrist and holds him steady, his hips rolling up into the pressure. 

They curse in unison, Kyoutani spreads his fingers out, receiving a gasp in return, he really would have done this sooner, maybe the first time they'd kissed. He wants to do this a hundred more times, to burn the image of Numai into his brain—mouth parted, hand gripping firmly at Kyoutani's wrist, the other tugging at the sheets. “Kazuma,” Kyoutani breathes, almost like a plea, he doesn't want to rush this but his cock is beginning to strain as he watches Numai’s hips move. It's a hypnotic motion and Kyoutani curls his fingers up again, just as Numai’s hips roll down. Numai curses loudly, mixed with half of Kyoutani's name, his cock glistening at the head. “You’re fucking gorgeous.”  
  
“Kentarou, _shit_ , please.” Numai squeezes Kyoutani's wrist, he presses his hips down, moaning as Kyoutani's fingers steadily work him open. “I’m ready. Come on.”   
  
“Alright.” Kyoutani thrusts his fingers twice more then slides them free, he takes the condom from where it fell on the bed and quickly rips open the wrapper then rolls the latex down his length. He coats his cock with lube then pulls Numai closer. “Breathe.”  
  
“You won't hurt me.” Numai still takes a breath, moaning out when Kyoutani slides into him. “Fuck.” He whispers, his hands coming up to hold Kyoutani's arms. Kyoutani stops when he bottoms out, his fingers running gently over Numai’s hips. “I'm good, you feel amazing.” He pulls Kyoutani into a kiss and smiles at him. “Kentarou, I love you.”  
  
Kyoutani slides his palms up Numai’s sides, a content sigh leaving his lips. “I've been dying to hear that. I love you too, Kazuma. I'm gonna start slow, okay?”  
  
“Okay. I trust you.” They share another kiss then Kyoutani shifts his hips, thrusting slowly into Numai; Numai moans softly in response, his hips rolling into the trusts. Kyoutani’s fingers stay steady on Numai’s side, tracing circles as their bodies rock together.   
  
They exchange gentle kisses, between soft groans and heavy breaths. Numai’s head tips back and Kyoutani litters gentle kisses along his neck, he moves his hips quicker and swears softly against Numai’s skin. Numai grunts, matching the pace with his hips. “Kazuma,” Kyoutani groans, his fingers sliding over Numai’s skin. “I love you. _Fuck_ , I love you.”   
  
“I love you too.” Numai moans, his fingers digging further into Kyoutani’s arms. It’s sweet hearing a mantra of Kyoutani’s feelings, it makes him feel light and free. “Ken, please. Move quicker.”   
  
Kyoutani groans softly. He snaps his hips quicker, his hands pulling Numai in to meet him; Numai falls further, his jaw goes slack and loud moans spill into the room. Kyoutani’s match, just as free and loud as their bodies work together in a steady motion, an equal push and pull that drives them towards their peak.   
  
Numai works his hips up against Kyoutani’s, gasping from the slight contact against his cock. “Kazuma,” Kyoutani whispers, his fingers trail down from Numai’s side and curl firmly around the length, jerking him to match their pace. “I wanna feel you let go.”   
  
Numai groans in response, gasping with every tug of Kyoutani’s hand along his length, every slight swipe over the head of his cock that leaves him weeping over Kyoutani’s firm fingers. “Kentarou.” He breathes his eyes falling shut as the pleasure washes through him.   
  
“That’s right, babe. I’m close too.” Kyoutani’s hips buck into Numai and he jerks him quicker, aided along by pre-cum. Numai gasps and groans loudly, his nails digging into Kyoutani’s flesh, his hips rocking quicker. “Cum for me.”   
  
“Ken!” Numai grunts, his body shaking as he spills over Kyoutani’s hand. Kyoutani snaps his hips twice more and cums with a loud groan, his hips bucking as his orgasam rushes over him. They slowly settle down together, breathing heavily against each other; slowly, Kyoutani slides free and grabs the tissues to clean them up. “Shower?” Numai asks, still a little out of breath, watching as Kyoutani disposes of the tissues.   
  
“Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.” Kyoutani disposes of the condom then takes Numai’s hand and helps him up to the bathroom. They wait for the water to warm up then hop into the shower together, sharing a soft kiss under the steady spray. “Are you okay?” Kyoutani asks when they pull away. 

“I'm fine,” Numai smiles, he grabs the soap and slowly starts washing Kyoutani. “That was amazing. It felt really good, I promise.”  
  
“Perfect. I always want you to feel comfortable with me.” Kyoutani hums softly as Numai’s hands massage over his skin. He takes the soap once Numai is finished and they switch places. “I liked it too. A lot.”   
  
“I want you to feel good too,” Numai leans down and presses a kiss to Kyoutani’s shoulder. “I love you. I don’t think I’ll get tired of saying that.”   
  
“I love you too.” Kyoutani puts the soap back then takes Numai’s face in his hands and kisses him. It’s a soft caress, they’re smothered by the water and Numai is the first to pull away, he reaches to grab the shampoo and runs it through Kyoutani’s hair. “I’ll never get tired of it. I don’t intend to let you go.”   
  
“You’re such a softie.” Numai washes the shampoo out of Kyoutani’s hair and relaxes with a soft sigh when Kyoutani’s fingers start to rub the shampoo into his hair. “I don’t either. You mean a lot to me, I’m never letting go.” Kyoutani smiles brightly. They finish washing up then step out and get dried. Numai slides his arm around Kyoutani's waist and leans down to kiss him again. “I mean it.”   
  
“Me too,” Kyoutani wraps his arms tightly around Numai’s neck, grinning as he’s lifted off his feet. “Look at you, my strong rich boy.”   
  
Numai snorts, he carries Kyoutani through to the bedroom and settles him down on the mattress. He picks out some clean clothes from the wardrobe and hands them over; Numai grabs his own and pulls on some fresh boxers, along with pyjama shorts. They cuddle up into the bed once they’re done, and Numai wraps himself around Kyoutani, his head burying into his neck. “Goodnight.”   
  
“Night.” Kyoutani soothes his fingers up and down Numai’s spine, until Numai is fast asleep in his arms. He closes his eyes and drifts off to the sound of Numai’s soft snores.


	9. home

The weekend away at Yokohama was amazing. Unfortunately, it has to come to an end and now they’re both back in Ōtemachi, they have to work too. They find time to go on a date twice a week (with Numai picking where they go one night and Kyoutani picking the other), and they call every night, sometimes they even meet up just to sit together and drink tea. It’s nice, they keep work out of the conversations too and focus on themselves, it’s domestic bliss.  
  
It’s still strange not to wake up together and Numai begins to seriously consider how soon is too soon for moving in together. Realistically, he knows it is, and he isn’t going to ask, but he at least hopes that maybe Kyoutani would be up for staying every weekend or every other weekend. It isn’t just about spending more time together, since they said _I love you_ , Numai’s apartment has felt bigger and more lonely alone.   
  
Numai is glad that it’s a Thursday night and he’ll be going on a date with Kyoutani, whatever he decides to choose. Numai rushes through the workday, as much as possible and the second he’s out the office, he sends a text to Kyoutani and jumps into the car, heading off towards Kyoutani’s office.   
  
Kyoutani is already waiting outside. He grins when Numai’s car pulls up and hurries to jump into the passenger seat, leaning over to steal a kiss. “Did you have a good day?”   
  
“It was okay, nothing exciting. I was more looking forward to seeing you. How was your day?”   
  
Kyoutani blushes, gently swatting Numai’s arm. “It was good, just busy. I’ve got a new project to work on.”   
  
“Busy bee.”   
  
Kyoutani snorts, shaking his head. “You’re still busier than me. Come on,” He buckles up and takes Numai’s hand, squeezing softly. “I’m starved.” Numai nods, squeezing Kyouani’s hand back before heading off towards the restaurant Kyoutani picked —Indian for tonight.   
  
They aren’t in the car for long and just enjoy each other's company, humming or singing along to the songs that come on the radio. Numai parks into a free spot and jumps out, Kyoutani following moments behind.   
  
They head inside hand-in-hand, and throughout the meal, even if there is one mention of what’s going on at work, Numai just can’t pull his head away from the question lingering in his brain. They finish the meal and while they wait for dessert, Numai reaches over to hold Kyoutani’s hand. “Ken, I’ve been thinking a lot the past few days”   
  
“Oh.” Kyoutani sounds sad and Numai squeezes his hand.   
  
“It’s nothing bad.” Numai leans over and gently kisses Kyoutani. “I really want you to come over and stay the night.”   
  
“Oh,” Kyoutani blinks, his tone is lighter, just surprised now. “I’d like that. And, ya know, you can stay at mine whenever too. So.”   
  
“I was thinking we could do it at the weekend. And if you want me at yours, we could change it up every weekend.”   
  
“Every weekend?” Numai nods, grinning when Kyoutani’s face lights up with a smile, the waiter arrives with their dessert and they say a quick thank you then Kyoutani leans over and steals a kiss. “I’d really love that.”   
  
“Great.” Numai squeezes Kyoutani’s hand, they slowly let go of each other and turn to their desserts. By the time they’re finished, they’re both completely stuffed. Numai pays the bill then they head out, with Numai driving Kyoutani back to his apartment. He parks outside and leans over the console to kiss Kyoutani. “I enjoyed tonight. Don’t forget to pack a bag tomorrow night. We’re going to mine.”   
  
“So demanding, Kazuma.” Kyoutani teases, then presses their lips together again. “I’ll have a bag ready. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Numai nods quickly, they kiss again then Kyoutani climbs out of the car and heads up to the entrance door, glancing back to Numai, waving before he vanishes inside.   
  


* * *

  
Throughout the day, Kyoutani can’t get himself to sit still. He finishes his work early then walks to Numai’s office, taking the elevator up to the third floor, he finds Numai in his office and smiles. “Hey,” He swings the bag off to place on the chair then moves around the desk to lean down and kiss Numai. “You ready to go?”   
  
“I didn’t expect you to be here so early.” Numai turns in his chair to face Kyoutani and pulls him down into a kiss, one hand on his cheek and the other at his side. “Five minutes?” He mutters between their lips.   
  
“What are you doing?” Kyoutani turns Numai back and rests his chin on the chair, leaning over to see what he’s doing.   
  
“It’s really boring.”   
  
Kyoutani hums thoughtfully then reaches down, sliding his palms over Numai’s chest, loosening the buttons on his suit-jacket so he isn’t prevented from moving further, flicking his finger-tips against Numai’s pants when he reaches the hem. “If you have good focus, maybe I could help make it a little less boring.”   
  
“Jesus.” Numai breathes, turning his head to look back at Kyoutani, only to be stopped by one of Kyoutani’s hands coming up to turn his face back to the computer. Kyoutani leans down, his hand holding Numai’s face, the other trailing soft patterns into his lower-stomach. He sucks a mark into Numai’s neck, right above the collar of his shirt. “Fuck me once and now what? Seducing me in my office.”   
  
Kyoutani hums, he sucks another mark higher on Numai’s neck, then one just at his jawline. Numai gasps, his head tipping automatically. “Is it working?” Kyoutani’s hand slides down further to work gently over Numai’s crotch, with a hum, and a soft nip against Numai’s skin, he whispers, “I think it’s working.”   
  
“Fuck.” Numai closes his eyes, they shoot open when Kyoutani nips the crook of his neck. “You’re evil.”   
  
“Then I can stop, let you focus on your work.”   
  
“No,” Numai says quickly, blushing at his own eagerness. Kyoutani chuckles softly, he works Numai’s pants open and pulls out his shirt undoing the buttons so he can push the fabric aside. “I can just take them off.”   
  
“It’s more fun like this, and you’re still at work, you should look professional.”   
  
“Oh sure, ‘cause I look plenty professional with my boyfriend's hands down my pants.”   
  
“I think you look amazing.” Kyoutani kisses Numai’s neck, sucking the skin gently, leaving behind a mark, he pushes aside Numai’s boxers and grasps him firmly in his hand. “Damn. I forgot how big you are.”   
  
Numai bursts with the heat of a bush, though he finds himself helpless to say anything, especially as Kyoutani’s hand starts moving firmly up and down his cock, he moans, closing his eyes for just a second. Kyoutani nips his neck again and they fly open. “‘M focusing.” Numai says, voice straining, he tries to read the words on the screen, though the words don’t make sense in the haze of his pleasure.   
  
“Tell me when you’re finished working, then I’ll let you cum.” Kyoutani whispers. Numai nods, he focuses on typing, still hyper-aware of Kyoutani’s touch on his cock, his breathing is heavy and a few times when Kyoutani grips a little tighter or moves his hand quicker, though both movements only last for a moment, like Kyoutani is intentionally teasing him.   
  
“Fuck,” Numai grunts softly, his hips bucking into Kyoutani’s hands. “ _Ken_ .” He breathes, head tipping back to look at Kyoutani. Kyoutani’s face is focused, his mouth parted slightly, he catches Numai’s eyes and his hand stops moving. “I’m almost finished. Please, Kentarou-san.”   
  
Kyoutani shakes his head, he uses his other hand to make Niumai look back at the screen. “Kazuma-san, you need to finish this, it’s important. If you need me to move away, I can. It must be distracting having someone looking over your shoulder like this, but I think you’re doing a great job, I’m proud of you.”   
  
“Don’t move.” Numai says, voice pinched, breathing heavy. He focuses on the open document again, trying to make sense of it. Kyoutani kisses the base of Numai’s neck, and starts moving his hand again, his grip is firm but he still strokes slowly, taking his time to go from base to tip.   
  
Kyoutani gently bites along Numai’s neck, leaving a trail of soft marks in his wake. “Love you, you’re fucking gorgeous.”   
  
“Love… You.” Numai grunts, his hips rocking up into the pressure of Kyoutani’s hand. It takes more effort to focus and when he finally reaches the end, he lets out a breath. “Done.”   
  
Kyoutani hums, his eyes reading over Numai’s work. “Good boy.” Numai whimpers softly, groaning loud when Kyoutani’s hand tightens around him and jerks quicker. He grabs the tissues and pulls them close, letting himself succumb to Kyoutani, rocking his hips up to Kyoutani’s grip. “You really like this. Being such a good boy for me.”   
  
“Yeah,” Numai breathes, his eyes flutter closed and he pants between groans. “Y-Yes, Sir.”   
  
“Fuck, you’re so goddamn hot.” Kyoutani grips a little tighter, groaning when he sees Numai grab a few of the tissues, Kyoutani grips a little tighter, jerking quicker. “That’s right baby, cum for me.”   
  
Numai gasps, nodding quickly and he shoves the tissues down in time for his pleasure exploding. “Ken, Ken.” Numai pants, his head sinking back into the chair, Kyoutani strokes him slowly through the release then grabs the tissues to help with cleaning up, he dumps everything into the trash and gently kisses Numai’s jaw. “You’re fuckin’ crazy.”   
  
“Yeah, yeah. You loved it.” Kyoutani helps Numai fix his suit then takes his hand. “Let’s go. You can tell me more about this kinky side of yours when we get back to my place.”   
  
Numai nods, still a little dazed. When Kyoutani’s words register, he blushes bright, making a soft noise in the back of his throat, but he can’t even argue. “Ah, yeah.”   
  
Kyoutani smiles, stopping their walk to lean up and kiss Numai’s cheek. “Don’t be shy, I like it too. It’s really hot. Let’s get out of here, we can talk properly back at the apartment.” Numai nods at Kyoutani’s words and happily follows him out of the office building, cheeks still dusted pink.


	10. love

Work is busy and booming, Kyoutani is glad that the steady routine of dates and sleeping over at each other's places. It’s nice, Kyoutani loves Numai, Numai loves him and it’s easy to feel no matter how busy they are with work. Still, the work hours are long, and once the day is over, they’re eager to see each other, wash away the stress of the day in each other’s company.   
  
Numai practically rushes out of his office building, bidding goodnight to the cleaners and he hops into his car, driving the short way to Kyoutani’s office. He gets there to see Kyoutani rushing out of the door and laughs as he sprints to jump into the car. “Dunno what you’re laughing at.” He says, then leans over to kiss Numai, holding his cheeks gently.   
  
Numai hums, reaching out to thread his fingers into Kyoutani’s hair as he returns the kiss. They pull away, breathing deeply and they blink slowly at each other. Eventually, it’s Numai who breaks the silence with a soft chuckle. “I just thought it was funny because I rushed out to the car exactly like that.”   
  
“We are usually in sync. Feel like it proves further that we were meant to be. Ever since the kiss in the club, I never stopped thinking about you. I love you.” And Kyoutani kisses Numai again, soft and sweet.   
  
Numai smiles into the kiss, slowly breaking it to look at Kyoutani and brush their noses together. “I love you too. Come on, get buckled in. My place tonight. I made katsu pork with rice and shredded cabbage.”   
  
“Sounds good.” Kyoutani hums, he pecks Numai once more then settles back in the seat, buckling up the belt. Numai sets off for his apartment, his usual playlist they sing along to the songs as Numai drives, chuckling and enjoying themselves.   
  
It’s just over ten minutes to Numai’s apartment, and once the car has stopped, Kyoutani leans over to steal another kiss before jumping out of the car. Numai makes a soft noise of surprise then gets out and follows after Kyoutani, pulling him in close. “That’s cheating.” He hands the keys to Kyoutani, leaning down to kiss his temple. “I have a surprise for you with dinner, so let us in.”   
  
“Yeah, yeah.” Kyoutani is blushing though and walks forward, letting them into Numai’s apartment. He puts the keys on the hanger and they take their shoes off, sliding on their slippers so they can walk further inside. “Dinner first? I’m starving.”   
  
“We can do both.” Numai smiles, he takes Kyoutani’s hand and they walk through the apartment to the kitchen. Kyoutani gasps when he notices a bouquet of flowers, the box they’re in has his name written clearly. “See, both.” Numai kisses Kyoutani’s temple then moves past him to start heating up the food.   
  
Kyoutani takes a closer look at the flowers, breathing in the scent. “They’re beautiful, Kazuma. Thank you.” He brushes his finger against some of the petals and his breath catches when he sees the ribbon tied around the flower stems. Something on it shines under the light and he pulls the ribbon loose, letting out a soft, “Oh”, when he gets a better look at the shiny thing and his heart swells when he sees that it’s a key. “Kazuma is this-” He makes a soft noise, looking at Numai.   
  
“It’s a key to my apartment. You said you prefer it here, so I wanted to give you a key. Now you can come over whenever you like.”   
  
“Kazuma,” Kyoutani holds the key tightly, then moves to wrap his arms around Numai’s torso. “I love you so much. Thank you.”   
  
Numai turns and wraps his arms around Kyoutani. “I love you too, babe.”   
  
“Y’know now I gotta get you a key to my place since you prefer that. It’s only fair.”   
  
“Yeah, yeah.” Numai holds Kyoutani close and kisses him gently. The food is forgotten in favour of the kiss, of sharing their love in addition to them saying it, and they both know well how they feel and they know that food can wait the few minutes it will take for their kiss.


End file.
